D r a f t O n l y A p p r o v a l P e n d i n g SS UUMMMMAARRYY ooff PP RROOCCEEEEDDIINNGGSS J OINT CORPORATIONS, ELECTIONS & POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS COMMITTEE COMM ITTEE M EETING I NFORM ATIO N December 5 & 6, 2011 Room 302, Capitol Building Cheyenne, Wyoming COMM ITTEE M EM BERS PRESENT Senator Cale Case, Cochairman Representative Pete Illoway, Cochairman Senator John Hines Senator Wayne Johnson Senator Marty Martin Representative Gregg Blikre Representative Jim Byrd Representative Allen Jaggi Representative Kendell Kroeker Representative John Patton Representative Jim Roscoe Representative Tim Stubson Representative Dan Zwonitzer COMM ITTEE M EM BERS NOT PRESENT Senator Charlie Scott LEGISL ATIVE SERVICE OFFICE ST AF F Lynda Cook, Staff Attorney Matt Obrecht, Staff Attorney Matt Sackett, Senior Research Analyst Kelly Shepp, Associate Research Analyst The Committee Meeting Summary of Proceedings (meeting minutes) is prepared by the Legislative Service Office (LSO) and is the official record of the proceedings of a legislative committee meeting. This document does not represent a transcript of the meeting; it is a digest of the meeting and provides a record of official actions taken by the Committee. All meeting materials and handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office, public officials, lobbyists, and the public are on file at the Legislative Service Office and are part of the official record of the meeting. An index of these materials is provided at the end of this document and these materials are on file at the Legislative Service Office. For more information or to review meeting materials, please contact the Legislative Service Office at (307) 777-7881 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The Summary of Proceedings for each legislative committee meeting can be found on the Wyoming Legislature’s website at http://legisweb.state.wy.us. PAGE 2 OF 9 OTHERS PRESENT AT M EETING Senator Stan Cooper (via telephone) Senator Dan Dockstader Senator Ogden Driskill Senator Fred Emerich Senator Curt Meier Senator Tony Ross Representative Don Burkhart Representative John Eklund Representative Ken Esquibel Representative Hans Hunt Representative Robert McKim Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Subcommittee Sign-in Sheet for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The committee met in Cheyenne and discussed legislation regulating surplus lines insurance. The committee also continued the process of consideration of redistricting based on the 2010 census. CALL TO ORDER Co-Chairman Pete Illoway called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic. Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda. APPROV AL OF MINUTES Minutes from the October, 2011 Committee meeting were approved. INSURANCE 12 LSO 0015.W1 – Insurance-surplus lines. Ken Vines, Jim Mitchell and Donna Stewart from the Department of Insurance presented the bill. Mr. Vines provided a summary of the bill (Appendix 3). Non-admitted insurance is property and casualty insurance placed with insurers not licensed in this state, directly by an insured or through a surplus lines broker. The proposed changes add new definitions and requirements based upon those found in the Non- admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010. Jim Mitchell explained what surplus lines insurance entails. The committee discussed how allocation of risk among property located in different states occurs. Ms. Stewart explained how Chapter 9 of the insurance code applies to insurers under the non-admitted insurance chapter. The bill was moved and seconded. The insurance department brought several proposed amendments for simple clarifications (Appendix 4). The bill passed unanimously as amended (Appendix 5). JOINT CORPORATIONS, ELECTIONS, & POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us PAGE 3 OF 9 REDISTRICTING Chairman Illoway introduced the topic. He reminded the committee that the goal is not to save the seats of existing legislators but to do the best job of redistricting for the state. Representative Jaggi noted that he appreciates the work of the committee. He suggested that the committee looked at each region in the state. He stated that he understands that alternative ideas have come forward since the meeting in Casper, but he recommends that the committee stay the course with what was decided in Casper. Rep. Patton noted that this is the fourth redistricting he has been involved in. He believes that the people have had more say this time than at any time in the past. Senator Case discussed the process which included multiple meetings in each of the counties, as well as at least 15 meetings of the committee to consider those local plans. Chairman Illoway reiterated the principals the committee voted to follow: 1. Election districts should be contiguous, compact and reflect a community of interest; 2. Population of election districts should be substantially equal, with the range of deviation not to exceed 10%; 3. To the greatest extent possible, in establishing election districts: a. County boundaries should be followed; b. The majority of the population of each county should be in one district; c. Census blocks should be followed; 4. The plan should avoid diluting voting power of minorities in violation of the Voting Rights Act; 5. The house shall have 60 seats and the senate shall have 30 seats; 6. Consideration should be given to two contiguous house districts in each senate district; 7. Significant geographical features should be considered in establishing districts. Matt Sackett, LSO, presented the two plans that were addressed by the committee at the Casper meeting. The committee discussed the redistricting plan for each region of the state in turn. Chairman Illoway discussed the plan splitting Rawlins. Rep Burkhart testified that there is no support for a plan that splits Rawlins. The committee voted to return to the original plan that did not split the city of Rawlins. Jackie Gonzales, Albany County Clerk testified that the clerks’ revised plan would put Rock River back into districts with other Albany county residents. Senator Martin testified that the revised clerks’ plan added additional people into HD 47 from a rural subdivision north of Rock Springs. Senator Case noted that the people in the subdivision north of Rock Springs have more in common with Rock Springs than people in Rock River have with Laramie. The committee voted to keep the Natrona County plan as proposed. Rep Patton explained the development of the Sheridan Johnson county plan. The committee voted to keep the Sheridan Johnson county plan as proposed. JOINT CORPORATIONS, ELECTIONS, & POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us PAGE 4 OF 9 Chairman Case explained the Fremont county plan which places Dubois back with the majority of Fremont County. Shoshoni and Lysite get included in the Big Horn basin in this plan. He noted that the people in Shoshoni are not very happy with the plan, but the people in Dubois appear to be happy with the plan. Debbye Lathrop, Laramie County Clerk noted that Julie Freese, Fremont County Clerk, has some minor adjustments to the Fremont Plan to accommodate some concerns in the Riverton area. Chairman Illoway stated that he is very uncomfortable with House District 28 in this plan because of the way Meteetsee is handled. Hans Odde, Hot Springs County Clerk, testified that his county has lost population and the only way to bring enough people into the district is to include Meteetsee, Shoshoni and Lysite. Rep. Illoway noted that it looks like they are trying to save a representative’s seat. Mr. Odde testified that he understood this, but the alternative would split Thermopolis. It was noted that the clerks in the basin might propose some adjustments to the plan. Chairman Illoway stated that if they are going to do something they need to do it now. The committee voted to keep the Fremont county plan as proposed but there were several members voting against it. The no’s were related to the placement of Jeffrey City, Shoshoni and Meteetsee. Susan Saunders, Campbell County Clerk, testified about the Stubson plan for the eastern part of the state. (Committee proposal 1). Debbye Lathrop explained how the plan affects Laramie County. House District 10 stretches into lower Goshen County. Senator Meier testified that ranchettes closer to Cheyenne would have greater communities of interest with Cheyenne. He suggested adding some of southern Platte into HD 7 rather than moving some of southern Goshen into HD10. He noted that the proposal as it stands puts him into Senator Johnson’s district. The committee asked LSO to look at the changes suggested by Senator Meier. The committee then looked at Committee proposal 2 (Driskill plan). Senator Driskill stated that under his plan communities of interest are kept together. He noted that proposal 1 takes a representative from six counties and gives it to 1 county that already has 4 representatives. Senator Hines suggested that proposal 1 is not the best for Campbell County but it is better than proposal 2. Debbye Lathrop testified that the clerks from the eastern side of the state had more support for proposal 1. The committee voted to move forward with the eastern side of the state in proposal 1 with the changes proposed by Debbye Lathrop in the “clerks 2” plan and changes proposed by Representatives Zwonitzer and Throne. The committee took up the southwestern part of the state.