Mar. 6—CHEYENNE — Appointed lawmakers from both the Wyoming House of Representatives and Senate managed to pass a budget for the 2025-26 biennium in a single day, but not without some major compromise.
Five members from each chamber sat on the second joint conference committee and passed a budget Tuesday night, after lawmakers failed to pass one on Monday.
Rep. Clark Stith, R-Rock Springs, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that the University of Wyoming represented an “ugly compromise” between the two chambers. During the first round of negotiations, House and Senate JCC members had polar opposite views on funding for the university.
The Senate side proposed defunding the UW’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as any diversity, equity and inclusion-related activities and programs. However, Don Richards told lawmakers on the first JCC that the university risked losing federal grants “in the neighborhood” of $110 million to $120 million per year.
In the passed version of the budget on Tuesday, lawmakers agreed to adopt the Senate’s position on DEI programs at the university and, in exchange, kept the university’s gender studies program alive.
Sen. Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, also proposed removing the Senate amendment to remove UW’s block grant. This would have required the university to submit a standard budget to the Legislature, and some lawmakers previously said the amendment was unconstitutional.
Lawmakers also managed to keep the full $110 million to fund K-12 school capital construction projects in the negotiated budget. In several other budget areas, however, negotiations resulted in keeping reduced versions of allocations to certain departments, programs and services.
A split down the middle
Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, cut nearly $100 million out of the budget in capital construction projects, which included nixing the $69 million for a veterans home in Buffalo.
She told the WTE Tuesday night that Senate JCC members went into negotiations with a conservative mindset to reflect the will of the body. JCC members agreed to cut spending in half for several other services and programs.
Lawmakers adopted an amendment to put $20 million into the 988 suicide hotline trust fund, instead of the original $40 million. Nethercott’s previous amendment in the Senate to send $5 million to the Cheyenne arboretum was also reduced to $3.5 million.
Lawmakers voted to spend $9 million to increase state employee salaries, instead of the original $18 million. The governor’s office also will eliminate 24 full-time equivalent positions, instead of the original 42 proposed by the Senate.
Stith told the WTE he hopes the governor will keep eight full-time positions in the Wyoming Depart of Environmental Quality. There are trona projects in Sweetwater County that are still waiting for air quality permits to be processed, he said.
Another amendment decreased funding for grants through the Wyoming Department of Education to address mental health needs of students from $18.5 million to $15 million.
Large energy funds
The governor was originally given $200 million out of the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account (LSRA, the state’s “rainy day” fund) to spend on large energy projects. Stith said this money allowed the governor to invest in carbon sequestration projects, which have become increasingly necessary to keep the state’s coal industry alive.
The Senate originally proposed cutting this money out completely. Instead, the JCC-approved budget reduces the allocation to $150 million and moves the source of funds from the LSRA to the state’s general fund.
Stith said the governor would still be able to authorize the use of these funds on his signature alone, without permission of the Legislature.
Border control, Texas
Rep. Tom Walters, R-Casper, proposed reducing the House’s allocation for border control from $1 million to $750,000. This money would reimburse local volunteers who wish to go and assist in border control.
The original amendment was to send $2 million to Texas, but Walters said it was best to reduce that money and reimburse Wyomingites who wish to provide help.
“Most of those dollars will then come back to Wyoming,” Walters said. “It’s the best way Wyoming can contribute and still maintain our healthy economy.”
Litigation in out-of-state cases
Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, moved to delete an amendment that restricted the Secretary of State’s Office from participating in out-of-state litigation.
He moved to delete another budget amendment that put in the same restrictions on the state auditor, state treasurer and state superintendent of public instruction.
Wyoming Department of Health
Walters moved to delete the Senate’s position on prohibiting the Wyoming Department of Health from spending money on gender transition/reassignment procedures and abortion.
“These are all related to procedures the Department of Health may or may not fund,” Walters said. “In my opinion, the budget bill isn’t a place to be making social statements, and so let’s keep it to the numbers.”
Dockstader and Sen. Stacy Jones, R-Rock Springs, both voted against the amendment. Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, adopted an amendment to decrease funding for developmental preschool services from $16.7 million to $12.3 million. This funding was also amended to pull from the state’s general funds, instead of the School Foundation Program (SFP) account.
Stith proposed cutting out an allocation of $1.15 million from the general fund and $4.75 million of federal funds with respect to the summer electronic benefit transfer child nutrition program.
The JCC-approved budget must now be sent back to the floor of each chamber for a simple majority vote, which could be as early as Thursday afternoon.
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Hannah Shields is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s state government reporter. She can be reached at 307-633-3167 or [email protected]. You can follow her on X @happyfeet004.
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