May 6, 2021
Meeting Summary
Presiding: Jaime Stine
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving:
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote: George Gill
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests:
Guests:
Exchange Students:
Visiting Rotarians:
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA:
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor: Todd Pearson
Foundation Drawing: Terry Roark won $10 from the jackpot drawing!
O’Dwyers Drawing: Keith Downey
Announcements:
- Jaime Stine announced that the club will be back in person but you can still attend via Zoom.
- Remember to let Jaime Stine know if you will be attending the meeting next week. We will meeting out at the airport.
- Tom Mangan told the club that the MS Walk is next weekend in Cheyenne. Our Rotary team has raised $4,400, and the club will provide a $400 donation.
- Virtual District Conference registration is open. Sign up today!
Rotarian of the Week: Todd Pearson nominated John Bard for another trip around the sun; Murray Schroeder nominated those Rotarians and their families that helped on clean-up day.
Special Presentation: Ron Van Ekeren celebrated a birthday with a gift to the local Rotary Club Foundation.
Songs: Happy Birthday, The More We Get Together
Program: Sen. Dan Furphy and Rep. Trey Sherwood
Introduction: Rollin Abernethy
This is Furphy’s first term in the Senate and Sherwood’s first term as a legislator. Sherwood ran in the most crowded race in the state to win House District 14. She is the first women Democrat in that seat. Furphy did a couple terms in the House previously.
Sherwood noted that the building is amazing and entering it is a humbling experience. She received a warm welcome.
This was a tough session. People keep asking why taxes weren’t implemented. Furphy explained that many moderate legislators were not reelected, and the legislators that came in were very conservative and opposed to taxes.
Sherwood had her first individual passed during this year’s session. There is about a 30 percent chance of individual bills passing, so this was an accomplishment. This bill allows Wyoming wineries to hold tastings, which they could not do before.
Furphy noted that this session was not fun because there was a need to cut $430 million out of the budget, which ended up cutting 324 positions. This impacts us all. Furphy fought hard against some specific cuts, such as the potential cut of $30 million to disabled residents. He worked hard for this not to go through.
Sherwood thought a low of the session was HB198. This was the UW water system bill. She was disappointed that a Laramie County representative proposed this bill without talking to Albany County representatives. This will have an impact on Laramie and possibly raise water costs.
Furphy was disappointed that there were more cuts to education and UW. This was an uphill battle and is still not resolved.
A few interesting things coming up are regulation for self-driving semis, a toll road on the interstate, and block chain.
Sherwood was excited that Medicaid expansion passed the House for the first time.
The House spent seven days on HB173 in regards to education funding. This bill went through a record 26 amendments and it was difficult to find solutions.
Furphy noted that the Senate got the cuts down to 3 percent. They tried to raise the starting salary for teachers and increased class size. In the end, the Senate couldn’t come to an agreement, so this will come back up.
Response: Caitlin White
Rotary 4-way test
Of the things we think, say, or do
•Is it the Truth?
•Is it Fair?
•Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
•Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?
‘Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
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Website: laramierotaryclub.org
Spoke Editor: Caitlin White, 307-630-1965, cwhite@acplwy.org
