Senate Finishes Budget Changes as House Lags Behind with 100 Amendments Still Pending

Wyoming lawmakers are barreling toward the final stages of budget deliberations, but the House and Senate are moving at starkly different speeds. The Senate wrapped up its third-reading amendments Friday afternoon, while the House had worked through just 23 of its 119 proposed changes, with 96 still pending.

The House brought a record 241 amendments this year—far surpassing any budget session since the Legislative Service Office began keeping digital records in 2002. The sheer volume put the chamber a full day behind schedule after second reading stretched past midnight Wednesday. Because rules require 24 hours between readings, third reading slid to Friday.

Efforts to speed things up failed. Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, tried to kill remaining second-reading amendments shortly before midnight Tuesday, but the two-thirds vote fell short. Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, withdrew a proposed rule change to limit debate after concluding he lacked votes.

The House has largely stuck to the Joint Appropriations Committee’s austere budget, which made deep cuts to the University of Wyoming and attempted to defund the Wyoming Business Council. Lawmakers have so far declined to restore $40 million in UW block grant funding or funding for Wyoming Public Media. They did, however, restore $6 million for UW athletics—the biggest change adopted in second reading.

Third-reading amendments still on the table include proposals to add millions for state parks, wildlife programs, transportation, health and family services. Late Friday, the House approved an amendment from Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, to invest $100 million from the Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund in highway construction loans. “We’re struggling now to fund our highways, water systems, all those things,” Harshman said.

The Senate, by contrast, moved briskly through all 51 of its amendments, adopting 28, withdrawing 11 and rejecting 12. Several tweaked the sweeping “big, beautiful amendment” that reverted most of the budget to the governor’s recommendations.

UW-related amendments included $1 million in matching funds split between the rodeo and debate teams, and $500,000 for a rural medicine training initiative. Lawmakers rejected an amendment to cut $27.5 million from the university’s budget requests.

The Senate also restored about $19 million for developmental disability services, added $203,000 to boost public health salaries in four counties, and approved $1.8 million for senior care.

Once both chambers finish third reading, the budget heads to a joint conference committee to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions. Two years ago, the first conference committee failed, requiring a second. In 2025, the Senate rejected a supplemental budget outright. This being a budget session, lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass a two-year spending plan.