League of Women Voters
Wyoming








STATE
PROGRAM
RECORD

STATE PRESIDENTS, LWVUS MISSION/ GOALS Page 3
PREFACE 4
PRINCIPLES 4
HISTORY 5
STATE PROGRAM 6
Human Resources/Social Policy 6
Corrections 6
Child Care 7
Education 8
Equal Rights Amendment 10
Housing 10
Nursing Homes 11
Elections 12
Apportionment/Reapportionment 12
Election Laws 13
Resources 14
Natural Resources 14
Air Quality 16
Energy 16
Land Use 17
Water 19
Resources 19
Quality 19
Organization of State Government 20
Legislative 20
Executive 21
Judiciary 21
Initiative, Referendum, Recall 22
Taxation 22
National Security/International Relations 24
Resolutions 24
Concurrence Statements 25

WYOMING LEAGUES 28

Introduction

This publication will enable League members to promote the state program more effectively at both local and state level. State program is suggested by members and local Leagues, chosen by delegates to the state convention, studied by the membership with the help of publication compiled and furnished by the state board. Members come to consensus on a program item and actions to deal with the identified issues. The state League then takes a position based on member consensus and action is taken to implement this position through lobbying for or against legislation, informing the public, monitoring the administration of existing legislation, testifying at public hearings/meetings or other appropriate means.

STATE PRESIDENTS

LWVUS MISSION

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

GOAL

The goal of the LWVUS is to empower citizens to shape better communities worldwide.

PREFACE

The Wyoming State Program Record consists of program positions that were adopted at state conventions and guidelines that were developed by the state board of directors from the consensus process. The guidelines offer specific means of implementing or lobbying for a position.
The adopted positions can be changed by only convention action. The guidelines may be amended by the state board to reflect changing emphasis on the position, but the changes must be within the framework of the original position.

PRINCIPLES - LWVUS

The League of Women Voters (LWVUS) believes in representative government and in the individual liberties established in the Constitution of the United States.
The LWV believes that democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible.
The LWV believes that every citizen should be protected in the right to vote; that every person should have access to free public education that provides equal opportunity for all; and that no person or group should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimination.
The LWV believes that efficient and economical government requires competent personnel, the clear assignment of responsibility, adequate financing, and coordination between the different agencies and levels of government.
The LWV believes that responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people; that government should maintain an equitable and flexible system of taxation, promote the conservation and development of natural resources in the public interest, share in the solution of economic and social problems that effect the general welfare, promote a sound economy and adopt domestic policies that facilitate the solution of international problems.
The LWV believes that cooperation with other nations is essential in the search for solutions to world problems and that development of international organization and international law is imperative in the promotion of world peace.



The Principles are “concepts of government” to which the League subscribes. The Principles serve two functions, according to the LWVUS Bylaws: 1) authorization for adoption of national, state and local program (Article 12), and 2) providing a basis for taking action at the national, state and local levels (Article 12). As for action to implement the Principles, the appropriate board authorizes the action once it determines that member understanding and agreement do exist and that action is appropriate. As with other action, when there are ramifications beyond a League’s own government jurisdiction, that League should consult other Leagues affected.

HISTORY

Equal suffrage for women, ratified in 1920 as the 19th Amendment, led to immediate organization of the LWVUS. This new organization’s objective was to educate women to their new responsibilities of full citizenship. Gradually Leagues were organized in communities across the country; by 1954 there were four units in Wyoming. The state League began with the first state convention in Worland in June 1957. Bylaws were adopted, and directors for the League of Women Voters of Wyoming (LWVWY) were elected.
As a requirement for recognition by the LWVUS, a “Know Your State” study was completed. Information gathered in this study was published in a booklet entitled “A Look at Wyoming Government.” This was the first state League publication for general distribution. It was revised in book form as Look at Wyoming Government 1970, 75, 79, and 89.

HUMAN RESOURCES/SOCIAL POLICY
CORRECTIONS

POSITION
Wyoming should adopt a more rehabilitative and less punitive philosophy toward incarceration. (Adopted 1976)

GUIDELINES

• Responsibility and planning should be centralized within a professionally staffed agency.
  
• Academic and vocational programs in all correctional institutions should be continuously evaluated.
  
• Adequate counseling, psychological testing, pre-release and post-release programs should be provided.
  
• Prisoners’ rights should be clearly defined.
  
• Young and first-time offenders should be separated from hardened criminals.
  
• Personnel should receive adequate salaries and in service training.
  
• Work Release and similar programs should be expanded.
  
• Minimum standards for county jails should be mandatory.
  
• More community-based treatment facilities and programs for both adults and juveniles should be made available.
  
• The efforts of police, court systems, welfare agencies, schools and other public and private institutions should be coordinated.
  

HISTORY

In 1973 the LWVWY began a study of “corrections in Wyoming with emphasis on facilities for rehabilitation” as part of a larger study on the reorganization of Wyoming government. “Correction Study of Wyoming,” publication #36, was produced in April 1974. The 1974 convention in Powell featured the Corrections theme; consensus was reached by January 1975. At the 1976 convention, direction was received to update the publication with emphasis on facilities and programs for women. The publication was reissued in January 1977 under the same title.
LWVWY co-sponsored a corrections workshop in Cheyenne in February 1977. A motion at the 1977 convention in Jackson to continue studying corrections with emphasis on juvenile justice failed.
LWVWY has used the corrections position to lobby for community-based correctional legislation and to support a women’s facility. The women’s facility in Lusk was opposed by the LWVWY because it did not meet the site criteria developed for the Board of Charities and Reform nor the guidelines set by LWVWY.
At the 1983 convention the corrections item was moved from Government to the Human Resources/Social Policy heading.
At the 1985 state convention, members adopted a new study item to explore the functions Board of Charities and Reform with emphasis on the feasibility of establishing a State Department of Corrections under the executive branch. Since then, a Wyoming Department of Corrections was established as a Cabinet level department. LWVWY has continued to monitor prison expansions, and construction plans.

CHILD CARE

POSITION
Establishing regulations governing the operations of child care facilities shall be the responsibility of state government. The state should provide adequate training for providers and for licensing officers. Regular inspections are needed to ensure quality facilities and care. Local governments should be responsive to community child care needs. (Adopted 1983, 1997, 1998, 2001.)

HISTORY
In 1981 state convention approved a study of day care in Wyoming with emphasis on the regulation of facilities. The study continued in 1982, and publication #53, “Day Care: Wyoming Law and Issues,” was produced in December 1982. The state sent out a child care facility survey to providers and parents in 1997. From results, state position was slightly modified with emphasis on need for regular inspections and training of providers with additional support to accomplish these. The 2001 state convention approved changing the term "day care" to read "child care" as the Title for this section and to be reflected in the Table of Contents. Neither the Position nor History would be affected by this change in wording.

POSITION
Quality education should be provided from kindergarten through the community college level; the state should assume funding. (Adopted 1966, 68, 71)
The state should maintain a public school financing system that meets the educational needs of all Wyoming students K-12 and is based on actual costs. Every student should have equal access to funding provisions of the system. (Adopted 1998.)

GUIDELINES

• Schools should strive for academic excellence. Students should exhibit competence in the basic skills; reading, writing, and mathematics.
  
• Students should develop acceptable competence, skill, understanding and /or direction in physical and mental health, moral and ethical behavior, communications skills, human relationships, citizenship, natural and scientific environment, fine and practical arts, and economic and vocational affairs.
  
• A program of quality education should include:
  

1. quality teachers who know their subjects, understand pupils, and know best how to teach them;
   
   
2. reasonable class size to permit the teacher to function at his or her best;
   
   
3. kindergarten classes for all beginning schoolchildren;
   
   
4. special programs for, socially, emotionally, and developmentally disabled;
   
   
5. programs for gifted and talented;
   
   
6. technical vocation training in association with academic programs;
   
7. safe, clean, and adequate school buildings with areas for specialized work as music rooms, science laboratories, etc.;
   
8. guidance and counseling services with the necessary testing programs;
   
   
9. mutual involvement of school and community, including support and cooperation for achieving continuity in regular school schedules in order to emphasize academic quality and reduce disruption of the school day for teachers and students.
   

• School districts should be organized in geographically cohesive areas.
  
• The value of the classroom unit should be determined by formula rather than by negotiation.
  
• Revenue for education should come from sources other than local property tax. (Guidelines updated 1983)
  

POSITION
Action to support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and to bring laws into compliance with the goals of ERA. (Position of LWVUS, adopted 1972)

HISTORY
The LWVWY actively supported ratification of the proposed 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Ratification was achieved in the 1973 legislative session. Rescission efforts initiated in the 1977 and 1979 legislative sessions were defeated through the efforts of a coalition of groups including LWV. In July 1982 ERA died for lack of ratification by three states. By July 1983 another similarly worded amendment was introduced and failed in the U.S. House.
In 1978 the LWVWY supported a proposed state constitutional amendment allowing women to work in the mines. State Voter articles were prepared to keep women apprize of their rights and problems of equality under the legal system of Wyoming. LWVWY attention continues to focus on changes in gender terminology in state statutes.

HOUSING

POSITION

1. There should be local and statewide minimum standards for the regulation of manufactured housing and mobile home parks. (Adopted 1980, 1998)
   
2. State financial assistance should be provided to help restore, rehabilitate and purchase existing housing. (Adopted 1978, 1998)
   

• Mobile home park regulations should be enforced by local governments if possible.
  
• State enforcement should be provided for areas with no adequate local enforcement.
  
• A system for the gradual improvement or phasing out of existing substandard parks should be implemented. (Guidelines adopted 1978, revised 1983)
  

NURSING HOMES

POSITION
Wyoming state standards should promote the achievement of quality care in nursing homes. Wyoming should provide state support for alternatives to institutionalized nursing home care. (Adopted 1978, revised 1985)

GUIDELINES

• Licensing for nursing homes should be consistent with other professional license fees required by the state.
  
• Annual inspections should be conducted by a qualified team in order for nursing homes to maintain their licenses.
  
• Administrators should be given an opportunity to respond to deficiencies noted by the team.
  
• Deficiency reports should be available to the public.
  
• Fines should be imposed for continuing deficiencies.
  
• Nursing home condition should be monitored between visits of the inspection team.
  
• Nursing home administrators should be licensed, and continuing education on gerontology should be required for license renewal.
  
• State-funded training for nursing home aides should be provided.
  

ELECTIONS
APPORTIONMENT/REAPPORTIONMENT

NATIONAL POSITION
Action for apportionment of congressional districts and elected legislative bodies at all levels of government based substantially on population.
The LWVUS believes that congressional districts and government legislative bodies should be apportioned substantially on population. The League is convinced that this standard, established by the Supreme Court, should be maintained and that the U.S. Constitution should not be amended to allow for consideration of factors other that population in apportionment.

HISTORY
Leagues in 33 states already had positions on apportionment when, in 1965, the LWVUS Council adopted the study. By January 1966, the LWVUS had reached member agreement on a position that both houses of the legislature must be apportioned substantially on population. The 1972 convention extended the position to cover all voting districts.
The overriding conviction behind the League position on apportionment is that a population standard is the fairest and most equitable way of assuring that each vote is of equal value in a democratic and representative system of government.
State and local Leagues have applied the position to apportionment issues within their jurisdictions since the adoption of the national position.
In 1981, the Legislature reapportioned the House, using a divisor of approximately 7,000, to seat 63 representatives roughly on the basis of population, one representative and additional representatives for each major faction over the 7,000 divisor.
Niobrara County, with a population of approximately 2,900, did not qualify for a representative under this formula, but the legislature decided to follow the Wyoming constitutional requirement that there be a representative from every county in the House. (A similar provision in the state constitution for the Wyoming Senate had been declared null and void by a 1967 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.) This gave Niobrara County its own representative, making the total representation 64 instead of 63. The legislature added a provision that, should the decision be declared unconstitutional, Niobrara and Goshen Counties would become a representative district, sharing two representatives.
At the 1981 state convention in Riverton, the LWVWY voted to initiate a lawsuit against the state, challenging this apportionment on the basis of previous “one man, one vote” decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Deviation in representative districts approached 89% with Wyoming’s 1981 apportionment, and past Supreme Court decisions had allowed less than a 16% deviation.
The lawsuit was filed by individual League members across the state. The case was tried by a three-judge panel of Federal District Court judges who found in favor of the state, against the League position.
At the 1982 state convention in Cody, the LWVWY supported a budget which included money to appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court accepted the case, but in June 1983, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the lower court decision should stand because the court believed Wyoming had made a case for the tradition of maintaining county representatives. The ruling indicated a more lenient attitude was acceptable for application of the one-man, one-vote rule in state legislatures than it was for federal congressional districts. (In the same court session, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that New Jersey could have not more than 1% deviation in setting congressional election districts.)
Wyoming’s Constitution requires apportionment of the Legislature after every federal decennial census. After the 1990 census, the Legislature’s reapportionment proposal was to maintain the system of county representation. Again, as in 1980, LWVWY members joined others and filed suit, this time successfully. The result was single-member legislative districts in the House and Senate, delineated in the 1992 legislative session using census information that gave the House 60 seats and overlapping Senate districts with 30 seats.

ELECTION LAWS

POSITION
Wyoming election laws should prevent fraud, promote accuracy, facilitate proper registration of voters, ensure a secret ballot, and encourage an active electorate. Election laws should be enforceable and feasible to administer, with responsibility clearly defined at all administrative levels. (Adopted 1959, 67)

GUIDELINES

• Signature identification should be required.
  
• Hours for polling should be (maintained at) twelve hours.
  
• Uniform and mandatory training of election clerks and judges should be required.
  
• Registration of voters should be allowed in more accessible locations.
  

RESOURCES
NATURAL RESOURCES

POSITION
The state League adopts the National position on waste management as part of the state program. (Adopted 1998)
“LWVUS believes that natural resources should be managed as interrelated parts of like-supporting ecosystems. Resources should be conserved and protected to assure their future availability. Pollution of these resources should be controlled in order to preserve the physical, chemical and biological integrity of ecosystems and to protect public health.
Resource management decisions must be based on a thorough assessment of population growth and of current and future needs. The inherent characteristics and carrying capacities of each area’s natural resources must be considered in the planning process. Policy makers must take into account the ramifications of their decisions on the nation as a whole as well as on other nations.
To assure the future availability of essential resources, government policies must promote policies that promote stewardship of natural resources. Policies that promote resource conservation are a fundamental part of such stewardship. Resources should be minimized. Beneficiaries should pay the costs for water, land and energy development projects. Reclamation and reuse of natural resources should be encouraged.” Pg. 32 and 34 Impact on Issues 1996-98.
There should be a single state agency with jurisdiction over all environmental concerns. The interstate effect of environmental impacts should be a part of the decision-making process. (Adopted 1972, 78)
In 1985, the LWVWY received a grant from the Wyoming Solid Waste Department of the DEQ for a program on household generated hazardous waste. The project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and involved public meetings in 10 Wyoming towns culminating in a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day in Casper.

HISTORY
In 1972, the League adopted a water quality position which called for a single environmental agency or a water control agency with jurisdiction over all types of water pollution. Since the formation of DEQ in 1973, the League has monitored its activities, written testimony, and promoted citizen participation in DEQ activities. This state agency has jurisdiction over land, air, and water quality in Wyoming.
In 1978, following the lead of the LWVUS, the LWVWY combined all program areas formerly included under “Environmental Quality” into a new program called “Natural Resources.” This program now includes air quality, energy, land use, water quality and water resources as state items and includes action on national NR positions which also include solid waste, an area in which the state relies on the LWVUS position.
Action in the NR area sometimes overlaps component parts such as water or energy and can impact other league program areas such as education and human resources. Recognizing this, the 1978 Wyoming LWV Convention adopted the following resolutions:

Whereas mining and mining impacts affect every program in which the LWV of Wyoming is involved and, whereas creative and innovative approaches are needed in order to address these impacts, be it resolved that a Natural Resources program committee be established for the coming program year with one representative from each League, provisional League, and unit at large. The purpose of this committee will be to study mining activities in Wyoming and to coordinate action.

Further direction was received from the membership to concentrate on uranium mining. The Wyoming state board wrote a proposal for a uranium mining education project which was jointly sponsored by the LWV of Colorado. Funding of $22,300 was received for support of this project--$3,300 from the LWV Education Fund, $1,500 from Exxon USA, $9,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy, Region VII, Denver, and $3,500 from the Wyoming Energy Conservation Office. ($5,000 unaccounted).Under this project, a three-day “Citizens Workshop on Uranium Mining” was held at the University of Wyoming, June 13-15, 1979. There were more than 100 registered participants at the workshop and 35 speakers. Follow-up projects included a one-day seminar in Gunnison, Colorado, in September 1980, and mailing of 300 uranium information kits to all news media and the high schools in Wyoming. In addition, a slide set illustrating uranium mining issues was prepared by the Wyoming LWV. Twenty copies were prepared and distributed to 16 volunteer slide show operators, many of whom attended a 1_ day training workshop in Riverton in February 1980. This slide set continued to be shown to Wyoming audiences in 1980, and copies were given to Leagues in Montana and South Dakota.

AIR QUALITY

POSITION
Wyoming energy resources should be developed with proper regard for continued maintenance of air, land, and water quality. The need for new energy development should be demonstrated, with conservation considered as an alternative to development.

GUIDELINES

• The effects of air pollutants on the health and welfare of people, livestock, wildlife and vegetation should be determining factors in state energy development decisions.
  
• Potential air pollution sources should be prohibited from areas where pollution is already high and from areas where air temperature inversions are known to occur regularly.
  
• The degradation of air quality across state borders should be a consideration in decisions on the siting of industrial facilities.
  
• Protection of human health should be the primary goal in regulating air quality, and cost-benefit analysis should not be considered the sole basis for regulation. (Revised 1983)
  

ENERGY

POSITION
Wyoming energy resources should be developed with proper regard for continued maintenance of air, land and water quality. The need for new energy development should be demonstrated, with conservation considered as an alternative to development.

GUIDELINES

• The state should provide educational, technical, and financial assistance for implementing conservation practices.
  
• The state should develop and encourage the use of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and recycled wastes.
  
• State policies and regulations should encourage the use of energy efficient technologies.
  
• The interstate effect of pollutants should enter into decisions by the state regarding the siting of industrial facilities.
  

LAND USE

POSITION
Adequate land use planning is essential in maintaining the quality of life in Wyoming. The public should be allowed to participate in land use planning decisions on a continuing basis. (Adopted 1974, revised 1983)

GUIDELINES

• Plans should be developed to preserve open spaces, ranching, farming, natural beauty and aesthetic values, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, historical and archeological sites.
  
• Legislation should be enacted to provide tax incentives and/or penalties to preserve prime farm and ranch land, control plant siting, stringently control air and water pollution, provide proper management of flood plains, and control disposal of radioactive materials.
  
• Surface land should be restored after mining, and surface owners should be adequately compensated for damages.
  
• Industry should assume some responsibility for increased demand on community services accompanying population growth.
  
• State and federal government should provide special aid to impacted areas.
  
• Development should be permitted only where irreparable damage to wildlife areas or areas of unique scenic beauty will not occur.
  
• State and federal government should cooperate in planning use of federal land in Wyoming.
  
• State and federal land use planning should delegate as much control as possible to local governments.
  
• State assistance should be provided for local planning.
  
• State planning should control areas of critical or statewide concern.
  
• Land use and industrial siting decisions should be made in cooperation with other regional governments.
  

POSITION
Wyoming should have a comprehensive water planning process designed to provide adequate water resources and acceptable water quality with continued opportunities for public participation in water-related decisions. (Adopted 1969, 72, 73, 78)


GUIDELINES FOR WATER RESOURCES

• Wyoming should adopt a Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
  
• Wyoming should pursue the process for including Wyoming rivers in the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
  
• Wyoming water laws should include recreation as a beneficial use of water.
  
• Wyoming water laws should include in-stream flow as a beneficial use of water.
  
• Minimum stream flows should be established and maintained where appropriate.
  
• Agricultural use of water should be encouraged.
  
• The planning process should identify how the “best public interest” can be served in water project and allocation decisions.
  
• The state should assess the effect of energy development and related activities on the quantity of groundwater before further development is permitted.
  
• The state should develop a planning policy and criteria for judging water priorities for projects. (Adopted 1983)
  

• The state should establish and enforce drinking water standards.
  
• The state should license water well drillers.
  
• The state should license and/or train sanitarians.
  
• Wyoming should adopt a state plumbing code.
  
• The state should establish groundwater quality standards.
  

ORGANIZATION OF STATE GOVERNMENT

OVERALL POSITION
The organization of Wyoming state government should promote efficiency and economy; ensure a representative, responsive and accountable legislative body; and provide authority for a responsible and efficient executive. (Adopted 1970, 72, 78)

GUIDELINES FOR LEGISLATIVE

• Votes in committees should be recorded.
  
• Deliberations in the Committee of the Whole should be recorded.
  
• The legislature should provide a minimum of 48 hours’ notice to news media for public hearings.
  
• Live radio and TV coverage of legislative sessions should be allowed.
  
• Legislative salaries should be adequate.
  
• Statutory requirements should be enacted to provide for the disclosure of all sources of income and financial interests of public officials, including state legislators and state governmental officials. (Revised 1983)
  

• Comprehensive reorganization of the executive branch should be achieved through a combination of constitutional amendments, statutes, and executive orders.
  
• The number of governmental agencies should be reduced provided no essential public services are eliminated or drastically reduced. (Revised 1983)
  
• The governor should have the power to appoint department heads.
  
• The executive branch should be organized in cabinet form and composed of department heads; departments should be based on function.
  

1. Adequate provision of the separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers.
   
2. Potential for allowing alternate structure for these governing bodies with a goal of recommending statutory changes to reflect consensus.”
   

GUIDELINES FOR THE JUDICIARY

POSITION
Wyoming should maintain a merit selection plan for judges. (Ad 1976)

HISTORY
In 1975, the state board authorized a citizen education project on the merit selection of judges and the recall of judges in Wyoming in preparation for a constitutional amendment on the 1976 ballot. The committee’s efforts resulted in Publication #39, February 1976, “Judging the Judges”. No consensus was reached on the recall of judges, but there was strong support of the merit selection of judges. This position was affirmed by the 1983 state convention.
Later in 1976, the LWVWY president chaired a citizens committee to draft a redistricting plan for judicial districts in the state. The plan was adopted by the legislature in 1977 resulting in two additional judicial districts and two additional district judges.

INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL

The 1985 convention directed the LWVWY board to develop the appropriate wording for this item.

POSITION
Initiative, referendum and recall can be useful tools at the state level, and Wyoming laws should provide for reasonable use of these direct legislation methods. (Adopted 1986)

GUIDELINES

• Wyoming’s present requirement of 15% signatures should be lowered to the 5-10% range.
  
• Signatures from 2/3 of Wyoming counties should be represented on the petitions.
  
• The previous gubernatorial election should be used as the base year.
  
• Signatures from qualified registered voters should be required and the secretary of state should be the validating authority.
  
• Wyoming should adopt a constitutional amendment allowing recall of elected state officials, with safeguards against abuse.
  
• Wyoming should provide authority for citizens to initiate a recall of elected officials in cities, towns or counties.
  

TAXATION

POSITION
State taxes should be broadly based, equitable, equally assessed, easily and economically collected. Counties, cities and towns should have adequate revenue-raising options. (Adopted 1964, 74) Sales and use tax returns to local governmental entities should be increased; 1% optional sales tax should be retained. (Adopted 1978)
Measures should be adopted that would make property tax revenues from mineral production available to all local governmental entities (including cities and towns) on a more equitable basis. (1980) Mineral severance tax rates should not be altered at this time. (1982)
As the present position on taxation gives a basis for action, the LWVWY is to use this position for advocacy on school finance, Tax Reform 2000, and other related issues and it is resolved that the LWVWY undertake an update/study on state taxation. (Adopted 98)

GUIDELINES

• The tax burden for low-income persons should be alleviated.
  
• (Adopted 1974). Sales tax should be removed from grocery food purchases, with the state reimbursing local governmental units for lost revenue. (Adopted 1978)
  
• Training for assessors should be mandatory.
  
• Uniform accounting and reporting methods should be used for all corresponding governmental units.
  

1. In raising revenue, one resource entity should not suffer to the benefit of the other. If there are to be increases, they muse be broad-based and spread among all revenue sources and should be phased in incrementally with education funding as the priority for the state.
   
2. Exemption granted in the past should be examined as to future revenue sources. Property taxes and even a state income tax should be considered.
   
3. Provide secure funding sources as citizens should be able to count on established and consistent funding sources and not the threat of continued litigation.
   
4. The League supports substantially rasing tobacco and excise taxes to address underage smoking, health care and the true costs to towns and counties.
   

NATIONAL SECURITY / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

NATIONAL POSITION
Promote peace in an interdependent world through cooperation with other nations. The strengthening of international organizations, arms control measures, and the resolution of conflict without the use of military force.

HISTORY
In 1983, funding was provided to the LWVWY by way of a pass-through grant from LWVUS, and from the Wyoming Council for the Humanities, for a special project “Global Security, Local Perspectives.” The project included a series of four small-group discussions in a number of Wyoming towns, each led by a humanities scholar, an essay contest for high school students and college students/adults, and a one day conference in Cheyenne in February 1984, which was attended by more than 100 people.
The grant directors presented a synopsis of the project at the LWVUS small state’s conference in Park City, Utah in Nov. 1984. They also attended a national LWV symposium in Washington, D.C. where the grant was honored as one of the outstanding Education Fund Grants that year.

RESOLUTIONS

Bias Crime (1998)
A resolution encouraging the Legislature to enact legislation addressing crimes motivated by membership or perceived membership in a particular group.
WHEREAS, Wyoming the Equality State, is one of only a few states
which has no bias, hate, or malicious harassment statute against crimes motivated by prejudice; and,
WHEREAS, all Wyoming residents, regardless of membership or perceived membership in a particular group, should feel safe from intimidation, fear, and violence; and
WHEREAS, when any one person is assaulted, threatened, or their property damaged because of their membership or perceived membership in a particular group, every member of society is affected; and
WHEREAS, the LWVWY is committed to providing each member of this culturally diverse community an environment free from the intimidation, fear and violence of crimes motivated by membership or perceived membership in a particular group.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF LWVWY that the League urges the state Legislature to enact legislation addressing this issue.

CONCURRENCE STATEMENTS

Tobacco Concurrence Statement
LWV of Wyoming

Drafted by Judy Knight, Laramie, and Angie Kinnaman, Rawlins,
Tobacco Concurrence Committee;
Revised by action of LWVWY Board August 26, 2000;
Adopted by action of State Convention, April 29, 2001

Preamble: The LWV of Wyoming recognizes that there are many social costs to smoking, such as the extra health care expenses for those smokers who suffer from lung diseases as a result of smoking; for low-birth weight babies born to women who smoke and for whom expensive nursery care is required; and for children and adults who suffer from second-hand smoke. Since these costs are borne by all Wyoming citizens, we recognize the right of citizens to have access to a smoke-free environment.

Position: The LWV of Wyoming supports measures to decrease the use of tobacco products in Wyoming. We favor:

1. Local decisions about whether or not to require smoke-free public places, and to determine to which establishments the ordinances will apply.
   
   
2. Prioritize dedication of any tobacco settlement funds which come to the State of Wyoming to (1) tobacco prevention programs, (2) enforcement of current laws, and finally (3) treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.
   
   
3. State cooperation with the Wind River Indian Reservation leaders to continue to develop and implement on the reservation programs for tobacco prevention, and enforcement and health treatment.
   
   
4. Tobacco prevention programs that deal with all forms of tobacco, not just that which is smoked.
   

1. The tobacco lobby would love to have the state legislature address this issue because it is easier for them to expend lobbying money to influence one legislature as opposed to many city councils all over the state if communities deal with the issue one by one. Also, there may be reasons why a town with only a limited number of businesses would want to allow smoking. A statewide ban (such as California's, which applies to all restaurants and all bars) might be perceived to be economically disruptive locally and difficult to enforce. But we know that second-hand smoke is a significant cause of disease and death, and it is known that smoke-free environments do aid in reducing consumption of tobacco.
   
   
2. The Tobacco Settlement Funds were the result of lawsuits filed by states against the big tobacco companies. The companies elected to settle out of court for a cash payment that goes to all 46 states who participated in the lawsuits. These funds will continue many years into the future. Several states, including Wyoming, initially announced plans to divert these funds to programs for children and health, not for tobacco prevention, with the rationale that this was a way to get some extra federal dollars into Wyoming without having to figure out how to raise the money needed for these legitimate programs virtually everyone supports. The three priorities listed here were part of the mandate adopted by the Wyoming Legislature which funds the Tobacco Prevention Project, part of the Substance Abuse Division of the Wyoming Department of Health. It is this agency which oversees the spending of the Tobacco Settlement Funds in Wyoming and which needs to be monitored to insure that the funds are going where the legislature wanted them to go.
   
   1. The tobacco prevention programs are needed to discourage initial tobacco use by non-smoking children and adults, as this addictive drug is more difficult and expensive to stop once a person has begun the habit. It is a first step to changing Wyoming culture with regard to the inappropriateness of smoking.
      
   2. There are Wyoming laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors. These laws need to be enforced though vigorous educational programs with merchants and appropriate fines for those who break the law.
      
   3. Low birth weight babies require specialized nursery care; children exposed to second-hand smoke may develop asthma; adults exposed to tobacco smoke may need oxygen and drugs for treatment of their emphysema; hospital, home health and hospice care may be needed for those severely disabled by their lung cancer or emphysema. All of these medical treatments are expensive.
      
   
   
   1. The Indian Reservations may "fall through the cracks" in the tobacco settlement fund distribution. The Federal Government has not been granted a share of the fund, instead it is all going to the states. But the states have generally felt that prevention programs on the Indian reservations are the responsibility of the federal government, especially through the Bureau of Indian Health, the BIH. Smoking by young Indian children and adults on reservations is observed to be higher than for non-reservation kids. Tobacco products minus the state taxes can be lucrative items for reservation merchants to sell. Changing the culture of tobacco use on reservations will require concerted efforts, and with no funding, it is unlikely to happen. Yet reservation residents set examples for non-reservation Indians, and they may use the medical facilities off the reservation, so the cost for treatment of their smoking-related problems affects all Wyomingites. Currently in Wyoming, there are funds from other sources which may be spent on tobacco issues on the reservations, but those funds are not earmarked for this purpose exclusively.
      
      
   2. Wyoming has the highest usage of spit tobacco by teen-agers, (and adults) proportionally, than any other state. Since tobacco is recognized as an "entry level" drug for teens, preventing its use is a first step toward reducing controlled substance abuses. "Spit tobacco" is the preferred term by the anti-tobacco coalition, since the industry-preferred term "smokeless tobacco" gives the very misleading impression that it is safer. "Snuff" is another tobacco product about which there are misconceptions, since it is not smoked but inhaled. All tobacco products are carcinogenic.
      
   
   
   

   
   

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   WYOMING LOCAL LEAGUES
   

   By date of provisional League organization. Original name in parentheses.
   CHEYENNE 1951
   CASPER 1952
   LARAMIE 1952
   WORLAND 1954 (disbanded 1959)
   YELLOWSTONE COUNTY (POWELL and CODY) 1967
   SWEETWATER COUNTY (ROCK SPRINGS/GREEN RIVER) 1972(disbanded 1981)
   TETON COUNTY (JACKSON) 1974
   CARBON COUNTY (RAWLINS) 1978
   EVANSTON 1978 (disbanded 1997)
   WINDRIVER (RIVERTON) 1978 (disbanded 1985)
   GILLETTE (CAMPBELL) 1980
   
   

   WYOMING UNITS AT LARGE
   

   By date of Organization
   LANDER 1969 (disbanded 1970)
   SHERIDAN 1969 (disbanded)
   WHEATLAND 1972 (disbanded 1976)
   BUFFALO 1975 (disbanded )
   WORLAND 1975 (disbanded 1976)
   CONVERSE COUNTY 1979 (disbanded)
   
   
   
   State Program Record Updated at the direction of the LWVWY convention: (1987,1995, 1997, 1998, 2001.)