state budget

When you think about how the state of Wyoming spends its money, where it all goes and why it goes where it goes, things can feel pretty abstract. Those cash questions got real this month.

Lawmakers on the Joint Appropriations Committee are almost finished with the second week of hearing state agencies’ funding requests. Education funding was difficult to nail down.

Employee salaries came up as a common theme throughout the day. Departments say higher wages will allow them to be more competitive in the market.

The 2024 fire season is still fresh in the minds of legislators. They want to avoid spending that much money again, and some are willing to pay now if it means fewer costs later.

Lawmakers heard from two agencies with similar goals of reducing administrative costs.

That’s according to an October report from state revenue forecasters. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus says big cuts are still needed to the budget.

Without sharing details of where they plan to make cuts, members of the Freedom Caucus say they want to dramatically reduce government spending. Gov. Mark Gordon says he’s drafting a "lean" budget.

Next October, states will take on 75% of the price tag of processing benefits and figuring out eligibility. The federal government and states previously split those administrative costs 50-50.

The University of Wyoming held a dialogue for faculty and students to ask questions of and give feedback to a panel of administrators about the current Legislative session. It’s part of UW’s initiative to cultivate discussion from different viewpoints.