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Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • Graduated, Saint Bernard's High School, 1972

Professional Experience

  • Graduated, Saint Bernard's High School, 1972
  • Owner/President, Innovative Mining and Equipment, Limited Liability Corporation
  • Owner/President, Von's Welding, Incorporated, 1979-1997

Political Experience

  • Graduated, Saint Bernard's High School, 1972
  • Owner/President, Innovative Mining and Equipment, Limited Liability Corporation
  • Owner/President, Von's Welding, Incorporated, 1979-1997
  • Senator, Wyoming State Senate, District 24, 2005-present
  • Vice President, Wyoming State Senate, 2017-2018

Former Committees/Caucuses

Former Member, Management Council, Wyoming State Senate

Former Chair, Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, Wyoming State Senate

Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Facilities, Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate

Former Member, Select Committee on Legislative Technology and Process, Wyoming State Senate

Former Member, Select Committee on the Wyoming Value Added Energy and Industrial Plan, Wyoming State Senate

Former Chair, Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee, Wyoming State Senate

Former Member, Task Force on Mineral Taxes, Wyoming State Senate

Current Legislative Committees

Member, Council of State Governments National Governing Board

Member, Council of State Governments West Executive Council

Member, Joint Committee on Air Transportation Liaison

Member, Joint Committee on Multistate Highway Transportation Agreement Cooperating

Member, Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Member, Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies

Member, State Workforce Investment Board

Chair, Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs

Member, Wyoming Commercial Air Service Improvement Council

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • Graduated, Saint Bernard's High School, 1972
  • Owner/President, Innovative Mining and Equipment, Limited Liability Corporation
  • Owner/President, Von's Welding, Incorporated, 1979-1997
  • Senator, Wyoming State Senate, District 24, 2005-present
  • Vice President, Wyoming State Senate, 2017-2018
  • Member, Gillette Rotary Club, present
  • Vice Chair, American Red Cross of Wyoming
  • Member, Campbell County Airport Board
  • Member, Campbell County Chamber of Commerce
  • Member, Community College Planning Task Force
  • Member, Conference of State Governments, Transportation and Trade
  • Chair, Drug Court Steering Committee
  • Member, Energy Council
  • Member, State Office Building Exterior Design Oversight Committee
  • Member, Transportation, National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Member, Workforce Development Council

Other Info

  • 2

Policy Positions

Wyoming State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- X

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

6. Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Estate taxes
- Slightly Decrease

6. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

9. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

11. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit of two consecutive four-year terms for Wyoming governors?
- Yes

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Wyoming state senators and representatives?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

1. Individual
- No

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Parties
- No

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

6. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- No

7. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- No Answer

8. Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Wyoming are closed?
- Yes

9. Should Wyoming recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Yes

10. Should Wyoming restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- No

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support the death penalty in Wyoming.
- X

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

4. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

6. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- No Answer

7. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X

8. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- No Answer

9. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

10. Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks.
- No Answer

11. Enhance penalties for subsequent convictions for driving under the influence.
- X

12. Support a ban on open alcoholic beverage containers in cars and trucks.
- X

13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- No Answer

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- No Answer

5. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

6. Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
- X

7. Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X

9. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

10. Increase funding for Head Start programs.
- No Answer

11. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- No Answer

12. Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- X

13. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- No Answer

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

6. Include sexual orientation in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws.
- X

7. Increase the state minimum wage.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

1. Public employment
- No

2. State college and university admissions
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil).
- X

3. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- No Answer

4. Support funding for open space preservation.
- X

5. Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
- No Answer

6. Compensate surface owners for loss due to oil and gas development.
- X

7. Support classifying wolves as trophy game animals in northwest Wyoming and as predators in the rest of the state.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

1. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

2. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer

5. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer

6. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- No Answer

7. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

2. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

3. Support a constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to limit non-economic awards in medical malpractice awards.
- No Answer

4. Support a constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to mandate that a medical review panel examine malpractice cases before they go to court.
- No Answer

5. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X

6. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X

7. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- X

8. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Wyoming.
- No Answer

9. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

1. Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
- X

2. Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

3. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

4. Support current limits on benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer

5. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

6. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.
- X

7. Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

8. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer

State Bills