Local legislators are in Cheyenne for the 2015 General Session, participating in a variety of debates, discussions and decisions.

For those of us in the northwest corner of the state, we’re about as far away from Cheyenne as Wyoming residents can get.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t be involved.

Thanks to the Wyoming Legislature’s website, legisweb.state.wy.us, you can easily track bills, follow legislative committees and even listen to audio broadcasts of the session.

Even though a wealth of information is available, many people don’t go online to access it, said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody.

“They still don’t use it,” Coe said during a meeting earlier this month. “The Legislative Service Office worked on the website to make every bill available.”

Coe added that he also gets the question, “How do we talk to you guys?”

Local legislators said email often is the best way to communicate with them while they’re in Cheyenne.

Sen. Ray Peterson, R-Cowley, said he constantly checks his email during the session.

“Use that email because it’s instantaneous,” Peterson said earlier this month. “What catches my eye are the messages from local constituents.”

He said to be sure to include your name and your residence in emails. Peterson said he gives priority to emails from residents living in Powell, Lovell, Greybull, Cowley and surrounding communities.

Messages in legislators’ inboxes sometimes sway discussions on the floor, he said. 

Peterson recalled an incident when he was debating about funding for the performing arts at the University of Wyoming. Peterson was fighting for the performing arts, and as he debated other senators, he continually got emails from an arts advocate who was seated in the balcony above the Senate floor. One message said that without the legislative support, the performing arts program was at risk for losing its accreditation.

Peterson shared that tidbit with other legislators, and it changed the course of the entire debate. The performing arts funding won out.

Your voice does matter, and it can be heard. Local legislators may not always agree, nor will every vote align with the beliefs of every citizen.

But it is worth sharing your thoughts, especially as lawmakers make important decisions in coming weeks.

We encourage you to visit legisweb.state.wy.us and see what bills are coming before the Legislature. Since this is a general session, the bills vary greatly — Medicaid, education science standards, dry bean research, minimum wage, alternative fuel taxes and road kill are among the many topics under discussion.

We also encourage local residents to contact their legislators throughout the session. Their email addresses are listed below.

Hundreds of miles separate the Big Horn Basin from Cheyenne, but that’s no reason for constituents to be out of touch with what happens in the Legislature.