Discrimination bill dies

A bill aiming to provide protection to homosexuals and transgender people against discrimination in Wyoming failed in the house Tuesday, following what Rep. Stan Blake, D-Green River, called a close vote.

Blake said Rep. Mike Madden, R-Buffalo, worked to strip the bill of many initial provisions before the vote, keeping its basic protections. However, that wasn’t enough to gather the necessary votes in the Republican-dominated House.

“I knew it was going to be close,” Blake said. “It was almost 50-50.”

The final vote came to 33 against, 23 for, with one legislator excused. Locally, both Blake and Rep. John Freeman, D-Green River, voted in favor of the bill. Rep. Joann Dayton, D-Rock Springs, also voted in favor of the bill while Rep. Mark Baker, R-Rock Springs, voted against.

Blake said a few legislators made comments about not wanting to be in a bathroom with a gay or transgender person and discussion about creating a religious exemption within the bill. Blake said he’s disappointed in some of the discussion that occurred between legislators, as well as the fact that the bill did not pass.

Overall, the session for Blake has been frustrating to him, citing the Medicaid expansion bill’s defeat and limited funding to the state’s cities, towns and counties.

With Medicaid expansion, Blake said the state will lose millions and not extend Medicaid provisions to those who need it most while with funding to local governments, he doesn’t expect the legislature to provide much to them.

However, there are some silver linings for Blake as well. Some of the work he’s proud of includes fighting to keep public lands in public hands.

“There are those who feel the need to put federal lands in control of the state so we can drill everywhere,” Blake said.

If the state were to take over federal lands, Blake says places like Little Mountain and the Wyoming Range could be opened for oil and gas exploration.

“I’m glad the (Bureau of Land Management) protects those areas,” he said.