March 2, 2026

Marguerite Herman, LWVWY Lobbyist

marguerite.herman@gmail.com, 307-630-8095

Week #4 of the 2026 Wyoming Legislature begins with a clear runway for the 2027-28 state budget bill, dispelling predictions of a joint conference committee standoff and providing time to consider Gov. Mark Gordon’s line item vetos. Meanwhile, 2026 bills face a countdown of deadlines, starting Monday, to adjournment on March 11.

Bills must be out of committee by the end of Monday and then through all Senate and House floor action by Thursday. Friday is the deadline for conference committee action. Then the Legislature regroups on Wednesday of next week for potential veto overrides. (Leadership was determined not to get into the time bind of 2025, when they adjourned before getting a crack at veto overrides.)

One election bill on LWVWY’s “hit list” remains in play: HB52, to allow hand-counting of ballots in a recount situation. It is woefully underfunded and moves up the primary election day by two weeks to give clerks the extra time needed to conduct a hand count. Evidence of a 25 percent error rate failed to deter Senate Corporations from voting 3-2 on Friday to pass the bill on to the full Senate. The bill is a concession to a small but vocal group in Wyoming that distrusts the use of machines for elections.

However, the SF113-2026 election hand-count comparison actually aims to increase confidence in the machine tabulation of ballots. The bill sponsored by Sen. Barry Crago calls for hand-counting a sample of ballots after machine tabulation for the 2026 Primary and General elections. The goal is to demonstrate machine accuracy, and the hope is to convince the skeptics. Results will be reported to the Secretary of State.

Another measure opposed by LWV nationally and locally is SJ5, the Convention of States, which seeks to add Wyoming to a growing list of states calling for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution – in this case, to end deficit spending and federal overreach. LWV continues to oppose such a convention, for the risks of a wide-open process and for any process that lacks proportional representation.  SJ5 is in the House Education Committee on Monday. (You can check out the LWVUS position on Convention of the States on page 70 of our Impact on Issues.)

Two remarkable events of the past week were the completely cooperative, debate-free Joint Conference Committee on the budget bill and a hearing of evidence by the Special Investigative Committee, which is looking into the dispensing of campaign contributions to House members after adjournment on Feb. 9. The time, manner and place of the check distribution seemed to be a major objection of most people, resulting in House and Senate rules and an executive order by the governor to restrict the time and place of contributions. The hearing on Thursday included witness testimony, video, and communications. Find the meeting video, agenda, and materials here. Some GOP legislators are angry at Laramie Rep. Karlee Provenza for going public with her questions and a now-famous photo of the check handoff on the House floor. No word on what’s next for the committee.  Pending is an investigation by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office on a possible criminal case.

After hundreds of amendments, nearly 40 hours of debate, and accusations of bullying and side deals, the House passed a budget version that differed from the Senate version by only $170 million, but was very different in spending policies. The House defended the Joint Appropriations Committee version of Freedom Caucus-supported cuts. The Senate started its work by adopting the governor’s budget and made adjustments from there. Speaker Neiman appointed a conference committee of Freedom Caucus budget cutters. The Senate conferees represented a broad range of that chamber. After a brief caucus on Friday, the House accepted a Senate deal, and the conference committee meeting ended at lunchtime in one hour and 41 minutes, with no debate or dissenting votes.

UW has $30 million in disputed funding and will receive another $10 million if it submits a plan to save $5 million (to the Legislature by December). The Business Council funding was cut to one year, and the SUN Bucks summer food program for children is OUT.

Conferees will ask their chambers to adopt this new joint budget so it can reach the governor’s desk quickly. Gov. Gordon has three days to exercise his veto.

The other must-pass legislation is SF81-k-12 public school finance-2, which recalibrates the state’s public school funding formula. It cleared the House Education Committee on Friday, 6-2, and is in the House Appropriations Committee on Monday before going to the full House.  This version contains disputed provisions for staff health insurance and for prescribed teacher pay..

Remember to use engrossed versions of bills, to include amendments added to date. Consult a bill’s “Digest” to see every action on that bill since its introduction.

Please check the LWVWY bill tracker for updates on bills that relate to our priorities of government accountability, constitutional issues, and elections.

 IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR YOUR USE

 

ACT NOW!  Here are ways to let your opinion be known!

  1. Call your Representative and Senator and leave a short, concise message
  2. Email your Representative and Senator
  3. For public testimony, whether online or in person, pre-registration is required.  Go to www.wyoleg.gov. Choose a meeting schedule.  Select the committee meeting at which you want to provide testimony.  Choose details.  Select “testify” and complete the required form.

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