CHEYENNE — State lawmakers adjourned early Tuesday after realizing their committee meeting would be fruitless when members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus blocked a slate of proposed gambling taxation legislation.

The Select Committee on Capital Financing and Investments was set to consider four bill drafts that would have created a variety of changes, including increased taxation on the gambling industry to support Wyoming’s state highway fund and health services supporting gambling addiction.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, expressed frustration after committee vice chairman Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, former chairman of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, moved to adjourn the meeting after the committee had finished considering its first of four gaming bills.

“I feel lik

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