As legislators gather in Cheyenne this week, they will be inundated with dozens of bills — eventually hundreds of them — up for consideration during the 2011 General Session 61st Wyoming Legislature.

Once again, Wyoming finds itself in a much better position than other states with its enviable budget surplus — more than $1 billion to allocate or invest.

Knowing rainy days may be ahead, it’s important for legislators to continue saving for the Cowboy State’s future. Yet a number of pressing issues must be addressed this session, including the following:

Education: From teacher tenure to the Hathaway scholarship to charter schools to what’s taught in classes, education again tops the agenda this session.

Wyoming invests considerable funds into education, and we encourage legislators to consider what’s best for students as they address how to improve the state’s education system.

Tougher DUI laws: Wyoming’s drunken driving laws have been brought up in recent legislative sessions, but unfortunately, they still remain too weak.

Wyoming must stop being lenient with drivers who have multiple offenses for driving while intoxicated. Too many people are dying in alcohol-related accidents — in 2009, drunken driving played a role in 41 percent of the state’s highway fatalities.

The law must be stiffened so drivers may no longer refuse a breath test or chemical blood test when arrested for drunken driving.

Highway funding: More than 6,800 miles of highways wind through Wyoming, and some are in such poor condition that the Wyoming Department of Transportation had to partially close sections for emergency repairs.

“The bottom line is that state roadways are deteriorating at a faster rate than we have the ability to fix based on current revenue,” said WYDOT District Engineer Jay Gould last summer.

With dwindling budgets and deteriorating highways, lawmakers must address the state’s roadways and reconsider a possible toll for Interstate 80, which will need an estimated $6.4-billion worth of repairs over the next 30 years.

Of course, these are just a few of the many issues facing legislators this session.

The Tribune will be following bills as they progress, but we also encourage local residents to get involved during the 40-day session. Though Cheyenne and Powell are separated by hundreds of miles of vast open spaces, technology allows local residents to actively engage in this year’s session. In today’s Tribune, you can find ways to track bills’ progress and how to contact legislators.

Decisions coming out of Cheyenne this year affect us all — get involved in the process.