Lawmakers restore $40M in UW funds, more

CHEYENNE — Lawmakers restored a proposed $40 million cut to the University of Wyoming as a legislative conference committee met Friday to reconcile the $170 million difference between the House and Senate versions of the state’s 2027-28 biennium budget.

Throughout the meeting, the Joint Conference Committee moved to restore much of Gov. Mark Gordon’s original spending recommendations that he announced in November 2025.

The budget put forth by the House was an amended version of the Joint Appropriations Committee’s proposed budget, while the Senate’s was an amended version of Gordon’s original budget. 

Both chambers passed 37 amendments to their respective budgets before the JCC met.

The committee was tasked with making controversial decisions regarding funding and oversight of state institutions like UW, where the committee restored the $40 million block grant funds, and the Wyoming Business Council, which will have one year to prove its worth to the state.

Earlier this week, chamber leadership each appointed five members to serve on the JCC. 

From the House, it was Reps. Abby Angelos, R-Gillette; John Bear, R-Gillette; Scott Heiner, R-Green River; House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett; and Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan. Representing the Senate are Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester; Gary Crum, R-Laramie; Mike Gierau, D-Jackson; Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne; and Tim Salazar, R-Riverton.

The meeting began with discussion of an approach to handle the dozens of identical or technical amendments that had stalled the budget process.

Nethercott initiated the first move to adopt the Senate’s position on nearly 60 individual items, effectively restoring the governor’s biennial budget recommendations for a wide array of state agencies that had seen their funding slashed in earlier House floor sessions and JAC meetings.

University of Wyoming 

UW has emerged as one of the most scrutinized agencies throughout the budget session, with lawmakers going back and forth on major cuts to the university. While the committee ultimately moved to restore approximately $60.9 million in general funds to the university’s standard budget — aligning with the governor’s recommendation — the funding comes with some strings attached.

The committee adopted a requirement for the university to perform a comprehensive organizational review. The mandate, which will occur internally, requires UW to identify at least $5 million in efficiency savings by Dec. 1.

“The concept is that the University of Wyoming would receive, by this appropriation, automatically, $30 million,” Nethercott said. “And there would be an additional $10 million that the university would receive subject to the receipt of a report ... identifying at least $5 million in efficiency savings.”

This approach restores the $40 million that the House had, at one point, proposed cutting from UW’s block grant.

In addition to the efficiency mandate, the committee adopted a footnote regarding collegiate athletics. The budget now contains an explicit rule that no general fund appropriations may be used to pay student-athlete salaries or endorsement compensation, commonly referred to as NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) payments.

However, the university did secure a win for Wyoming Public Media, whose funds were slashed in the proposed House and Senate budgets.

The committee voted to delete a Senate footnote that would have prohibited the use of state funds for Wyoming Public Media. This action effectively preserves state support for the public broadcasting service, which operates out of the Laramie campus.

Wyoming Business Council

The fate of the Wyoming Business Council has been another key debate throughout the session. The JCC rejected the Senate’s attempt to fully restore the governor’s $52.6 million recommendation for the WBC, opting instead for a House-led plan that significantly curtails the agency’s autonomy.

Under the approved motion, the WBC’s budget for certain divisions has been limited to a single year (July 2026 through June 2027), forcing the agency to return to the Legislature next year with a new budget request for the second half of the biennium.

The committee also authorized a $100,000 forensic audit of the Wyoming Business Council. The audit is intended to track all funds received and expended by the WBC since 2019, and ensure that the agency has administered its distributions in accordance with state law and generally accepted accounting principles.

Health care

The committee opted for a mix of restorations and denials for some health-related items. Lawmakers adopted a House position to increase funding for developmental disability provider rates and waitlist reductions, allocating $4.5 million for each initiative.

Senior citizens also got a win as the committee adopted an amendment to increase funding for senior and nutritional services by more than $1.8 million.

However, the committee followed the House’s lead in denying the governor’s recommendation for certain federal nutrition programs, including approximately $1.76 million for the Sun Bucks summer food program and more than $3.5 million for SNAP education and nutrition initiatives.

Other key decisions

The committee signaled a shift in the state’s approach to emerging industries by changing the Energy Matching Fund from a loan-based program to a grant program specifically for projects related to rare earth resources. Gordon will retain the final authority to determine the terms and conditions of these grants.

Lawmakers also moved to support the state’s legal defense fund, approving a $5 million appropriation for the Attorney General’s Office specifically for water litigation. The funds are earmarked for legal issues pertaining to protecting Wyoming’s rights under the Colorado River Compact of 1922 and the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact of 1948.

The committee approved several large-scale fund transfers, including the following:

• $228.6 million from the Strategic Investments and Projects Account (SIPA) to the general fund, contingent on the status of other legislation that determines the fate of the SIPA
• $88.7 million from the School Foundation Program Reserve Account to the Public School Foundation Program to ensure school funding remains stable; and
• $44.3 million directly from the general fund to the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, commonly known as the “rainy-day fund.”

Other large changes approved by the JCC include the following:

• Authorizing $2.5 million in funding for the development of a state shooting complex near Cody and $424,579 in general fund money for the Riverton State Office Building
• Adding footnotes to both the Department of Health and University of Wyoming budgets mandating that no state or federal funds under the department’s control may be used for elective abortions or gender transition procedures
• Restoring $10.2 million in general fund money to the Department of Health that had been previously removed by the House. This funding is dedicated to providing an external cost adjustment for state-supported preschools to help them manage rising operational costs; and
• Reducing the governor’s recommendation for the Wyoming Stable Token Commission. Lawmakers moved to cut the proposed appropriation from $8 million down to $4 million.

Next steps

The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to support the new budget proposal.

“We’re ready to do some great work here for the people of Wyoming, and I think we can come up with a good solution and get this on the governor’s desk right away,” Bear said during the meeting.

The committee staff will now prepare the formal Joint Conference Committee Report, which is expected to be walked through and officially signed by three members from each chamber on Monday.

Once signed, the report will head to the House and Senate floors for a final “up or down” vote. If passed by both chambers, the budget will proceed to Gordon for his consideration and potential line-item vetoes. If not, another JCC would be appointed to continue budget negotiations.

This story was published on Feb. 28, 2026.