Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray says that while state lawmakers did a fairly good job of dealing with the next two years during the recent legislative budget session, Wyoming faces some huge long-term budget challenges.

Murray says his department "can live with" the 1.5 percent cut it will face during the 2017-2018 biennium. He adds that in general state funding over that time has been provided for with the moves made by the legislature.

But the Secretary of State is greatly concerned about the next two years, or 2019-2020. He says Wyoming faces some "enormously challenging times for shortfalls for which there are zero revenues" as of yet.

Murray says he is especially concerned about the coal bonus money that has been used for school construction that he says will be gone for the next biennium. Murray's concerns echo comments made by numerous state lawmakers during the recent session about long-term budget issues faced by the state in light of low energy prices.

Taxes on the energy sector of the economy are the major revenue source for the state. With prices for oil, coal and natural gas all in the doldrums and showing no signs of improving, the state's budget outlook is bleak for the new few years according to most projections.

Wyoming is one of only a handful of states that doesn't impose a state income tax to fund government operations.

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