During the taping of Cowboy State Daily’s Legislative Roundup on Monday, Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) outlined some of the criteria he will utilize to review bills as they make their way to his desk from the 44th Wyoming Legislature.

When reviewing a bill, the Governor can either sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or allow the bill to go into law without his signature; in the case of a veto, the Legislature can attempt an override with a supermajority vote which is a two-thirds vote taken in each chamber. Governor Gordon told political reporter Leo Wolfson that he takes a number of factors into consideration when contemplating action.

Gordon reiterated his staunch belief in the separation of powers and typically reserves comment on specific legislation until it is final form for his consideration. At that time, the Governor begins to consider the legislation by asking a series of questions. These include contemplating factors such as:

Is the bill Constitutional?

Does it interfere with personal or private property rights? 

Does it erode local control? 

Does it grow state government or incur significant ongoing cost to the state?

Will it make Wyoming better for our children and grandchildren?

Governor Gordon emphasized that this is not an all-encompassing list, but serves as a reminder to consider the impact of legislation from a variety of perspectives.

“The constitutional one is obviously the first stop, and that is one that I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with the Attorney General’s office to look through it to see how it comports with the constitution,” Governor Gordon said.

In addition to the bill consideration criteria, the Governor expressed optimism about several other issues such as the potential for continued growth of the Wyoming energy industry with President Trump’s pro-energy cabinet; education and economic development; and property taxes.

“I think it’s important for people to understand that property taxes go to local governments and not the state,” said Governor Gordon, “Property tax relief will affect schools, will affect fire departments, will affect snow plow budgets and others.”

The complete interview is available here.