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Dave Kinskey

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Dave Kinskey
Vice President of the Wyoming Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byLarry Hicks
Member of the Wyoming Senate
from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 8, 2014
Preceded byJohn Schiffer
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDonna Kinskey
Children3
EducationHarvard University (BA)
University of Wyoming (JD)

Dave Kinskey is an American politician and a Republican member of the Wyoming State Senate, representing the 22nd district since July 8, 2014.[1] He previously served, from 2005 until his appointment to the State Senate, as the Mayor of Sheridan, Wyoming.

Early life and business career

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Kinskey spent a great deal of time at the YMCA during his youth.[2] He later received an economics degree from Harvard University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wyoming in 1982.[3][4][5] Following law school he was a practicing attorney, and later a realtor and business executive.[6] In 1988 he acquired the company M&M Home Medical Inc.[7] Kinskey was also the business owner of TK, LLC.[8] He was also a board member of SEEDA.[9]

Mayoral career

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Kinskey served as mayor of Sheridan, Wyoming from 2005 until July 8, 2014. He was succeeded as mayor by City Council President John Heath.[10] Prior to his election as mayor, Kinskey worked on the Senate campaigns of Wyoming Senators Malcolm Wallop and Alan Simpson, as well as Pete Simpson's unsuccessful gubernatorial run in 1986.[1] During his time as mayor, Kinskey initiated projects including the north main interchange of the city.[11] He also stated that he did not believe that Sheridan could preempt a potential state ban on public smoking by Wyoming,[12] and advocated for the re-fluoridation of the city's water.[13] Kinskey also pursued policy in support of the coal industry, trying to open the ports of West Wyoming to overseas coal exporting.[14] Under him, the city balanced the budget and began to build their financial reserves,[15] as well as streamlining approval processes.[16] He resigned from his unexpired term in 2014 after being appointed to the Wyoming State Senate.[17]

Wyoming Senate

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Elections

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In 2014 Kinskey received 67.7% of the vote of Johnson and Sheridan County Commissioners to fill the seat after incumbent Republican Senator John Schiffer died.[10] This saw Kinskey serving the last year and a half of Schiffer's term. Following his election, Kinskey said that Schiffer had been a mentor of his.[18] In May 2016 Kinskey filed for reelection,[19] and ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections for his first full term.[20]

Legislation

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Just as Kinskey was being sworn into office, the state’s mineral industry collapsed, leading to the loss of one quarter of the state’s revenues. Following this, Kinskey began advocating for immediate budget cuts, specifically to the recently approved renovation of the state’s Capitol building.[21] As a member of the Senate Revenue Committee, he advocated for spending cuts over tax increases in dealing with the budget crisis.[22] In 2015, Kinskey advocated for increased skilled nursing services and care centers for military veterans, co-sponsoring a bill to help fund new facilities in the Sheridan area.[23]

In 2016 he was a supporter of a bill re-criminalizing edible marijuana, which ultimately passed in the Senate.[24] He also cosponsored a wolf depredation compensation bill, which also passed.[25] Kinskey opposes new tax bills, believing government should "live within its means".[26][27] That year he also opposed Medicaid expansion in the state,[28] and co-sponsored legislation to reform asset seizure laws.[29]

In 2017 he co-sponsored legislation to reduce late term abortions and tighten the restrictions on fetal tissue sales.[30] Kinsky has supported House Bill 194, which allows school districts to decide whether or not to allow teachers and other school staff to carry a concealed firearm when working, claiming that it would lead to greater school safety.[31] He argued that not every school can afford a police officer, something he stated was particularly troublesome when it came to rural schools located fair distance from any local law enforcement, and that bans on guns in schools left the impression to potential criminals that they were not defensible. He also stated that they had written safeguards into the bill, including background checks and fingerprinting.[32] Though he announced he supported cuts to the state budget, without regard to agency[33] in order to tackle the $400 million budge deficit,[34] he afterwards co-sponsored an amendment to the 2017 omnibus education funding bill to reduce the state's education spending cuts.[35] He has stated that teacher effectiveness is the most important factor in childhood education.[36] He also co-sponsored a Constitutional amendment to override the Wyoming Supreme Court decision to remove oversight of education funding from the hands of legislators.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dave Kinskey". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "YMCA hits fundraising milestone". The Sheridan Press.
  3. ^ "Sheridan mayor wins senate nod". The Buffalo Bulletin.
  4. ^ "Seattle's Coal Training". Seattle Weekly.
  5. ^ "State of Wyoming Legislature". Wyoming Legislature. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Republicans choose 3 finalists to replace Schiffer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  7. ^ "M&M Home Medical Inc". List Company.
  8. ^ "Crews respond to early morning fire on Brundage". The Sheridan Press.
  9. ^ "SEEDA Board Approves Sale of Business Park Land". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Sheridan mayor will replace Schiffer in Wyoming Senate". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  11. ^ "Ground Broken for North Main Interchange". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Mayor: Sheridan Not Ready to Ban Smoke". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  13. ^ "Will fluoride make history in Sheridan again?". The Sheridan Press.
  14. ^ Voge, Adam. "Wyoming residents look to future coal markets". The Tribune.
  15. ^ "Mayor delivers budget message to City Council". The Sheridan Press.
  16. ^ "Mayor Dave Kinskey on Economic Development Plans". www.sheridanmedia.com. 24 June 2013.
  17. ^ "John Heath chosen as new mayor". The Sheridan Press.
  18. ^ TREVOR GRAFF. "Sheridan mayor will replace Schiffer in Wyoming Senate". Star Tribune.
  19. ^ "County Commissioners Seek Re-election". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  20. ^ "Off and running: Challengers pack local races in big election year". The Sheridan Press.
  21. ^ "State revenue continues slide, could decrease by 20 percent". The Sheridan Press.
  22. ^ "Tough decisions ahead for Wyoming legislators". The Sheridan Press.
  23. ^ O'Hara, Cody. "Bill Would Make Way For Possible Skilled Nursing Veteran Center". KCWY 13.
  24. ^ Beck, Bob. "Senate Passes Edible Marijuana Bill". Wyoming Public Media.
  25. ^ News, Northern Wyoming Daily. "Governor signs wolf depredation compensation bill". Wyoming Daily. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ "Column: Kinskey: Just say 'no' to new taxes". The Sheridan Press.
  27. ^ "Issues". Kinskey.com.
  28. ^ "Senator Kinskey Weighs In on Medicaid Expansion". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  29. ^ NEARY, BEN. "Lawmakers push bills to reform Wyoming asset forfeiture laws". The Tribune. Associated Press.
  30. ^ "Legislative bills seek to tighten abortion laws, enforce reporting". The Sheridan Press.
  31. ^ "No easy answers". Buffalo Bulletin.
  32. ^ "Guns in schools on Mead's Desk". Buffalo Bulletin.
  33. ^ "Funding cut proposed for prevention management". The Buffalo Bulletin.
  34. ^ "And then there were two". The Buffalo Bulletin.
  35. ^ "Senator Kinskey Co-Sponsors Amendment to School Funding Bill". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
  36. ^ Klamann, Seth. "Lawmakers hold first meeting to examine school funding model". Casper Star Tribune.
  37. ^ "Senator Kinskey Discusses Proposed Constitutional Amendment". Sheridan Media. 24 June 2013.
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Wyoming Senate
Preceded by Vice President of the Wyoming Senate
2023–present 		Incumbent
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