The 2026 Budget Session is wrapping up. The House completed its business on Friday, March 6, and will reconvene on Wednesday, March 11 to consider overrides to any veto overrides issued by Governor Gordon. Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote in both Chambers.
Two major pieces of legislation were passed this session: the Budget and the School Recalibration Bill.
On the Budget, I was part of a group of Representatives who worked to restore State employee compensation adjustments, funding for the University of Wyoming, and continuation of the Wyoming Business Council while a task force evaluates program improvements over the next year. The House and Senate entered conference with roughly $170 million in differences, most of which were quickly resolved. By the time the budget reached the Governor’s desk, it was within 1% of his original proposal. Governor Gordon issued 23 line-item vetoes. The Senate voted to override seven; the House supported four.
Wyoming’s 2026 School Recalibration Bill updates the K-12 funding model to meet constitutional requirements, incorporate compensation adjustments for Wyoming’s teachers, and responds to on-going school-finance litigation. This is the first time in 15 years that the Legislature has passed recalibration legislation, even though it is required every five years. I supported higher teacher salaries and pushed back against efforts to mandate State insurance participation or erode local control. While not perfect, the final bill provides stability to the funding model and delivers important improvements.
I also supported the creation of the Wyoming Energy Dominance Fund (SF123), a state-managed pool projected at roughly $105 million to provide grants and loans for projects that advance coal, natural gas, uranium, pipelines, rare earths, critical minerals, and other dispatchable baseload energy industries. Managed by the Wyoming Energy Authority and be funded through redirected severance tax revenues, the Fund is designed to accelerate development of Wyoming’s legacy and dispatchable energy sectors, support national security-aligned projects, strengthen
Wyoming’s competitive position against other states for major industrial siting, and channel severance tax revenues into strategic energy investments.
During the Session, I was appointed to the Wyoming House Special Investigative Committee reviewing the “Checkgate” incident. The Committee reviewed security footage and photos and testimony from Representatives and Ms. Rebecca Bextel, who delivered the checks on the House Floor. The Committee submitted a report concluding that while campaign checks were improperly distributed on the House floor after adjournment, no bribery, quid pro quo, or violation of House rules or the state constitution occurred. The conduct was nonetheless deemed inappropriate and harmful to the appearance of legislative integrity. The Committee recommended clearer rules, improved training, and stronger boundaries to prevent campaign activity in the chamber.
I will be holding town halls in Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs in the coming weeks to discuss these issues as well as the many other bills that were debated during the Session. Dates will be posted on my Facebook page and in the Pine Bluffs Post. I hope you can join me, and I remain available for questions and feedback any time.
Thanks again for supporting me during my first session which will be remembered a one of the most intense, compressed and politically charged sessions in recent Wyoming history. I am honored to serve you.