AN ACT relating to appropriations for the legislature; providing appropriations for the operation of the legislative branch of state government; providing for terms and conditions and other requirements relating to appropriations for the remainder of the current biennium ending June 30, 2026 and the period of the budget as specified; providing for carryover of certain funds beyond the biennium as specified; and providing for effective dates.
SF0002 is the Wyoming Legislature’s appropriations act for the legislative branch. It funds the Legislative Service Office and legislative operations for the remainder of the current biennium and the 2027-2028 budget period, covering salaries, benefits, in-state and out-of-state travel, dues to national legislative organizations, telecommunications, IT/network services, administrative support, and publication costs such as statutes, session laws, and digests. The bill also gives the Management Council authority to move money among expense categories as needed to support legislative activities.
The act includes several targeted appropriations and policy provisions beyond the base operating budget. It allows certain unspent prior appropriations to carry forward for K-12 education-related consulting work, replacement laptop computers, and extraordinary legislative expenses. It also creates or funds specific legislative activities, including compensation for legislators-elect and newly appointed legislators attending training before taking office, travel reimbursement for legislators participating in economic development efforts, funding for attendance at the state treasurer’s investment conference, support for the capitol interpretive exhibits and wayfinding subcommittee, and regional economic modeling software for fiscal notes and economic impact analysis.
The bill directly appropriates general fund money to the Legislative Service Office and sets the terms under which legislative funds may be spent, transferred, or carried forward beyond the normal lapse date. It temporarily overrides the usual reversion rules for certain unspent balances and authorizes immediate effectiveness for selected provisions, extending some appropriations through June 30, 2028. It also affects legislative compensation and reimbursement rules for training, travel, and committee participation, while supporting legislative research and fiscal analysis functions through funding for consulting, modeling software, and administrative resources.
The overall sentiment around SF0002 appears strongly favorable and largely noncontroversial. The bill advanced with unanimous or near-unanimous support in committee and on final passage in both chambers, indicating broad agreement on funding the legislature’s operating needs and related support functions. The failed floor amendments suggest some debate over specific details, but the underlying appropriations measure itself received clear bipartisan backing.
The main points of contention appear to have centered on amendments rather than the bill as a whole. Two Senate amendments failed, one by a wide margin and one more narrowly, suggesting disagreement over how the legislative budget or related provisions should be adjusted. Based on the bill text, likely areas of sensitivity include the scope of out-of-state and economic-development travel reimbursement, the use of carryforward funds for consulting on K-12 education issues, and funding for non-core legislative activities such as conferences, modeling software, and subcommittee work. However, the recorded votes show that these disputes did not prevent final passage.