Kinskey Talks About Legislature Saving vs. Spending

The legislative session began this week in Cheyenne, and State Senator Dave Kinskey discussed what has happened so far in the first of weekly updates from the session he will be doing with Sheridan Media.

He said this week’s focus for the Appropriations Committee has been on the extra $4 billion in funds available in this next biennium.

Kinskey said he hears some lawmakers suggesting that they spend while they have it, pushing projects that are “wanna-haves” as opposed to “gotta-haves” and pressuring to re-fund previous cuts, which he said they need to be careful of doing.

Kinskey said everyone in Wyoming has seen the boom and bust cycles, and every time there’s a boom, the memory of the bust just seems to evaporate.

He said there is a lot of pressure so far this legislative session to spend while there’s all that extra money.

He added, “Let’s put (some of) that money into the permanent fund where it will be to help well into the future.”