Gas Tax Passes the House, Heading to the Senate [AUDIO]

A proposal to raise Wyoming fuel taxes by a dime a gallon has passed the Wyoming House on a 35-24 vote.The bill would raise the tax from the existing rate of 14 cents a gallon up to 24 cents. Proponents say the hike would raise about $70 million a year for the state highway system and local governments.

A bill that would strip the Superintendent of Public Instruction of many of her duties and put them under an appointed director, has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. House Majority Floor Leader, Laramie Representative Kermit Brown, says the move was necessary.

...we said we will have to take that early, because if that bill passes then there is considerable work that has to be done...

Rep. Brown says so far the session has been going pretty smoothly, but the big social issue bills, will likely be coming up for debate in about 10 days.

...and those are bills that engender a lot of passion... which require additional security...

A bill that would allow people to hunt more than one bison in a lifetime has passed the house.Jackson Representative Keith Gingery says the Jackson Hole bison herd is getting too big.

..the Jackson hole herd got up to about 1200 and we knocked it down to 900...

That bill will now be considered in the senate.

Senate Minority Whip, Senator Bernadine Craft, says she is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide career and technical education grants for students who want to pursue that type of training.