LEGISLATIVE HANDBOOK

APPENDIX  1

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

There exist a number of other publications which contain important information for legislators relating to the operation of state government generally and to various aspects of the legislative process specifically.  The following is a directory of a selected number of these related publications.  A brief synopsis of the type of information included in each publication is also provided.

Annual (Agency) Report.

The annual agency report contains a separate section on each agency in the executive branch of state government and includes such information as:  organizational chart; descrip­tion of agency divisions and programs; funding and expendi­tures of each agency; agency objectives, accomplishments, problem areas and recommended improvements.  Published annually by the Department of Administration and Information. 

Annual (Financial) Report.

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the state of Wyoming is prepared and distributed by the State Auditor.  The Report contains:

-           Financial statements of revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balances for all state government funds.

-           Statistical section including fiscal, social and demo­graphic information about Wyoming, e.g., historical comparison of receipts and expenditures for various state funds; schedule of state, U.W. and community college employees; census results; and employment figures.

Book of the States.

Published biennially by the Council of State Governments, the Book of the States contains comparative state data relating to such matters as:

-           State constitutional provisions.

-           Organization, operation, activities and statistics (e.g., comparative compensation information) relating to the three branches of government in each state.

-           Summaries of state finance and budget matters.

-           A variety of statistics and information about the states including: demographics; historical data; elected officials; state symbols, etc.

A copy of the Book of the States is on file in the LSO for use by legislators.

Citizen's Guide to the Wyoming Legislature.

Provides general information to the public concerning the structure of the legislature and how bills become law, and includes answers to a myriad of commonly asked questions relating to the legislative process

Committee Chairman's Handbook and Legislator's Handbook

These two handbooks are published by LSO with the approval of Management Council and provide a variety of information for committee chairmen and legislators.

Committee Records.

Interim committee records from 1971 to the present are maintained in the LSO.  Typically the records consist of meeting minutes, memoranda, correspondence and staff reports relating to interim committee studies and interim committee sponsored bills.

Historically, no permanent record of standing committee meetings has been maintained.

Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG Report).

See, Wyoming State Government Revenue Forecast (below).

Ethics Brochure for Legislators

Provides information to legislators on the Ethics and Disclosure Act and answers some common ethical questions regarding the receipt of gifts, travel and meals, etc.

House and Senate Rules.

At the first session following the general election, each new legislature adopts rules of procedure governing how the business of each house is conducted.  Normally each new legislature adopts the rules of the preceding legislature, with relatively few changes.  The rules provide for such matters as the order of business, motions, points of order, referral and reporting of bills by committees, procedures for committee of the whole, 2nd and 3rd reading and rules of decorum for the House and Senate.

Journal (Digest) - Daily Journal.

Both the House and Senate maintain an official day-to-day record of legislative business known as the "Daily Journal."  The daily journal is used to record every significant action which occurs on the floor of the House and Senate during the session.

Following the close of each session, a Journal (formerly called the "Digest") of the House and Senate is published and furnished to each legislator.  The Journal contains:

-           Record of opening and closing day proceedings.

-           Transcript of the Governor's opening message and remarks at the close of the session.

-           For each bill considered by the legislature:

-           Bill Title and Sponsor name.

-           Record of all Roll Call votes.

-           Text of all Amendments.

-           Summary of all action taken on the Bill.

Legislative History of Wyoming.

This publication provides a brief recap of the various sources of Wyoming legislative history available to the researcher.  Prepared by the Legislative Service Office.

Legislative Service Office Annual Report.

Prepared annually in December, the Report contains:

-           Summary of interim committee studies and activities.

-           Recap of Bill statistics.

-           Summary of certain legislative expenditures.

Legislative Service Office Budget/Fiscal Reports.

The Legislative Service Office prepares a number of publica­tions providing budget/fiscal information to assist legisla­tors in understanding and managing the state's budget.  The following publications are described in more detail in Chapter VII of this Handbook:

-           Budget Books.

-           Fiscal Profiles ("Goldenrod Reports").

-           B-11 Report.

Legislator's Guide to Wyoming School Finance.

Prepared by the LSO, this publication serves as a basic primer in school finance.  The Guide provides an overview of the state Foundation Program, school capital construction grants and loans, and other revenue sources available to support the state's school system.

Management Audit (Program Evaluation) Reports.

Prepared by the LSO Program Evaluation Section under the direction of the Management Audit Committee, management audit reports provide detailed information, historical background, policy analysis and suggestions for improvements relating to the operation of selected state government agencies and programs.  Chapter VIII of this Handbook contains a list of recently completed audit reports.  Copies of Management Audit Reports are on file in the LSO.

Management Council Travel and Personnel Regulations.

This manual contains policies adopted by the Management Council relating to:

-           Assignment of Interim Committee Studies and approval of Committee budgets.

-           Regulation of Interim Committee operations.

-           Travel Regulations for legislators and legislative staff.

-           Personnel rules for employees of the LSO.

Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure.

Questions of parliamentary procedure which are not specifically covered by the House and Senate rules are governed by Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure.  Matters covered by Mason's include:

-           Parliamentary law.

-           Rules of Debate.

-           Rules Governing Motions.

-           Quorum and Vote Requirements.

-           Power and Procedures of Legislative Committees.

-           Relations between the Houses.

-           Calling and Adjournment of Sessions.

Session Laws.

Each bill adopted by both houses and signed or allowed to become law by the Governor is assigned a numerical "chapter number."  Following the session, the enacted chapters are compiled and published as the Session Laws of Wyoming.  The Session Laws are unique in that they are published in a "Strike and Underscore" format which allows the reader to quickly identify language which is being stricken from or added to existing law.  Session Laws are usually mailed to legislators in June of each year.

Testifying Before a Legislative Committee

This pamphlet published by LSO with the approval of the Management Council provides a variety of information for the public to testify before a legislative committee.

Wyoming Data Handbook.

This handbook contains demographic, economic and physical data concerning Wyoming.  Typical entries include: 

-           Population and demography: employment and income figures.

-         Business and industry: gross state product; consumer price index; employment rates; ag and industry production.

-           Government: revenues and expenditures; government employment; election results.

-           Resources information: land ownership; water resources; wildlife harvests.

-           County statistics: population; employment; county finance; sales tax collections.

Published biennially by the Department of Administration and Information.

Wyoming Manual of Legislative Procedures.

The manual contains:

-           A Summary of each step in the legislative process which a bill goes through to become law, from introduction through conference committee action.

-           Motions during floor debate: purpose, priority and vote required.

-           "Order of business" for regular legislative days.

-           Committee of the whole debate procedures.

-           Report checklists for standing committees and joint conference committees.

-           Special rules relating to: Call of the Senate or House; Suspension of rules; motion to reconsider; appeals from decision of the Chair; personal privilege; consent list for bills.

-           Glossary:  Legislative terms.

Wyoming Official Directory.

Compiled and published annually by the Secretary of State, the Official Directory contains:

-           Directory of elected officials in all three branches of state government.

-           Name, address and term of members appointed to government boards, commissions and councils.

-           Brief description of the purpose or function of each government agency and board.

-           List of County officials.

Wyoming State Government Revenue Forecast (CREG).

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) meets annually in October to develop state revenue projections.  The Group generally meets again in January preceding the legislative session to review and update projections made in October.  The annual report published by CREG contains revenue forecasts for each of the following 5 fiscal years relating to income to the general fund, severance taxes, federal mineral royalties and common school land income revenues.  For additional information relating to CREG revenue projections, see Chapter VII of this Handbook.

Wyoming Statutes (Annotated).

The official publication of Wyoming's laws is the multi-volume set entitled "Wyoming Statutes Annotated" published by Lexis Publishing.  A full set of the Wyoming Statutes is issued to each legislator after his election and is supplemented thereafter during his term in office.  The statutes contain citations to interpretive judicial decisions and other relevant publications.

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