Wyoming Department of Family Services

Wyomingites won’t be able to use SNAP benefits to buy sweetened carbonated beverages starting next February. Candy will get phased out in Feb. 2028.

Wyoming was one of many states that adopted a state version of the law when it looked like the federal version might get struck down in a 2023 Supreme Court case. But the state law is set to expire in 2027.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s office submitted a waiver last month to the federal government for approval to ban people from using SNAP benefits to purchase soda and candy. That’s as a bill to try and create more restrictions on spices and other ingredients failed to gain momentum during the first week of the budget session in Cheyenne.

Wyoming SNAP benefits could start hitting accounts as soon as Friday. Meanwhile, LIEAP has yet to be refunded by federal lawmakers.

The effort is a response to the ongoing back-and-forth about funding for federal SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

The money will go to organizations and churches running food banks and food pantries across the state.

Roughly 28,000 Wyomingites receive SNAP benefits each month, with an average payment of about $185 per person.

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.

Back in 2010, Wyoming had 855 licensed daycare centers. But in the last 14 years, 285 of those have shut down. Meanwhile, the need for childcare is on the uptick. Last March, the town of Dubois, population 931, lost its only daycare. Now, some local parents are racing to find a solution.

Wyoming's Emergency Rental Assistance Program has given a lot of money to a lot of families in the last two years. But now that program is ending, having spent all the money it could.