Winter named Chair of House Ag Committee

Speaking with Wyoming House District 28 Representative John Winter (R-Thermopolis) on Dec. 13, he was pleased to be named the Chairman of the Wyoming House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee for the upcoming 2025 legislative session.

Winter, who has served as a member of the committee since first elected in 2019, said, “I’ve been in that committee the whole time I’ve been in this position, and it’s a big honor for me. I’m looking forward to working with the committee members. We’ve got a lot of things to address, and we’ll see if we can’t put some sense into things going on in the state.”

He will no longer serve on the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee which he belonged to since 2021, or the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee which he belonged to since 2019. He said, “I’m going to miss being on those two committees; they’re highly important committees, but I’m willing to do whatever the Speaker of the House thinks needs done. So, I’m open to this and I’m ready to go to work. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can get accomplished.”

LAWLEY

In Washakie County, House District 27 Representative Martha Lawley (R-Worland) looks to continue work in the House Education Committee as well as the House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committees, having initially joined both in 2023.

She said in a statement sent to Northern Wyoming News on Dec. 14, “I am thrilled to be staying on both the Education and Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committees. I asked to stay on these two important committees and am looking forward to continuing my work. One of the advantages of staying on the same committees is you can use the knowledge you obtained over the previous years to make better policy that meets the needs of Wyoming's workers, businesses and families.”

She added, “I am looking forward to working with the new committee members. I intend to work hard and remain hopeful we can develop the best solutions to the challenges the people of Wyoming are facing.”

Lawley previews some of the ongoing work, saying, “I am looking forward to continuing my work to protect Wyoming’s legacy energy industries. I’m particularly excited to work for the passage of the vitally important oil and gas bonding bill that will strengthen Wyoming’s oil and gas producers. In Education, I look forward to continuing to expand choices for parents to direct the education of their children. I am also looking forward to bringing my personal bills prohibiting boys from playing in girls collegiate sports, and my Protecting Women’s Privacy bill requiring people to use the restrooms and locker rooms based on their sex on their birth certificate.”

The Education Committee is one where concerns have been raised recently, over the Speaker of the House — District 3 Republican Eric Barlow of Gillette — choosing to fully populate the committee with Republican representatives, replacing Albany County Democrats Chris Rothfuss who served on it since 2011 and Karlee Provenza, serving since 2023.

As a member of the Education Committee, Lawley said of the issue, “I voted in support of our House Leadership Team. The decisions about committee assignments are the responsibility of the new Presumptive Speaker. So, I am not going to second guess those decisions. I do, however, have some concern that conservatives may be perceived as unwilling to listen to the views of other elected representatives. As a conservative, I welcome robust debate on issues because I have confidence that effective conservative solutions will win the day.”

COOPER

State Senate District 20 Senator Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep), in an interview Dec. 12, shared that he was happy to maintain his role in the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, a role he has held since 2021. He said, “I think Minerals has the potential to be the strongest committee in the entire Legislature. For the state of Wyoming, it’s one of the most important. I’m really excited to continue the work we’ve started, and I think we’ve got a lot of really good things coming to Wyoming … The Minerals Committee will continue to work on all things nuclear in Wyoming; I think in the next 20 years we’re going to see Wyoming become a leader in nuclear energy in the nation.”

Cooper will also be leaving the Select Natural Resource Funding Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, positions he also started in 2021. Cooper stated these are adjustments he had requested due to the time he is required to dedicate to the Minerals Committee. Of those he said, “I think it was a great learning experience for me, but I thought it was time to move on and see what else I can learn and apply myself at.”

A new addition for Cooper will be the Senate Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee. Cooper said, “I’ve got some learning to do there; That’s new for me, but I think the learning curve will be manageable. One of the things we’re looking at is how we will increase air transport services to rural areas in Wyoming.”

2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The 2025 General Session is set to begin January 14, scheduling 40 days worth of time to handle new and returning potential legislation. Coverage of the session will begin in January. The Northern Wyoming News will provide weekly updates from Cooper and Lawley.