The Wyoming Legislature adjourned on March 6. In odd-numbered years, the state meets for a regular session of up to 40 legislative days. In total, 556 bills were introduced, with 227 passing both chambers.
Here’s what you may have missed:
The Budget
Wyoming runs on a biennial budget, which is passed in even-numbered years, funding the state for the next two fiscal years. A supplemental budget is usually passed in odd years. While Governor Mark Gordon (R) released a supplemental budget this year, the House and Senate could not come to an agreement. While both chambers proposed bills that called for less spending than the Governor, disagreements stemmed from the Senate wanting to spend $109 million more than the House. In lieu of passing the supplemental, the Legislature passed multiple one-time funding bills, including cutting off funding for DEI programs and funding for the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship. Gordon is expected to announce his Executive Budget for the 2026-28 Biennium on November 17, 2025.
Energy
Gordon has signed two notable pieces of energy legislation that make the state friendlier to oil and coal. SF 20 requires the Conservation Commission to create rules and regulations for oil and gas operators on federal land that require bonds and requires the Commissioner to create a process to allow operators to participate in the bonding pool. HB 75 lowers the severance rate of coal to 6% and the statutory rate to 4.5%. Both measures take effect on July 1, 2025.
In addition, legislation for establishing installation and siting guidelines for nuclear fuel (HB 16) died in the House Minerals, Business, and Economic Development Committee, following a mixture of public opposition and concerns amongst legislators. According to Representative Christopher Knapp (R), “I think that part of [the failure is] because, although this says it came out as an interim bill, you really didn’t discuss this during the interim. This came as a last-minute bill in front of us, and here we sit in a committee meeting that probably should last for days with questions to get this through.”
Virtual Currency
Following a national trend toward a heightened focus on virtual currency in 2025, Wyoming saw several virtual currency bills. Governor Gordon (R) signed HB 264, which prohibits state agencies from requiring payment in or adopting a central bank digital currency. However, multiple virtual currency bills failed to pass the legislature. SF 66, which would have required the creation of a state digital ledger filing system for accepting new blockchain and ledger technologies failed to receive a committee vote, while HB 201, which would have created a state Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, lost a committee vote in the House Minerals, Business, and Economic Development Committee.
Looking Ahead
Upon adjournment, Governor Gordon (R) stated that “there may have been a few targets we missed, but the aim of this body has remained true for the citizens of Wyoming, and I look forward to working with you as we try to honor some of the commitments we’ve made in this session.” Wyoming’s 2026 budget session is expected to convene on February 9, 2026.