Senate committee advances bill to bring PRCA Hall of Fame, museum to Cheyenne with $15M state match
February 16, 2026 | Appropriations Committee, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming
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The Senate Appropriations Committee on an unknown date advanced Senate File 124, a proposal to support relocation of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) headquarters and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum to Cheyenne by matching a reported $15,000,000 in private investment with $15,000,000 from state tourism funds.
Unidentified presiding officer introducing the bill said the project represented a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for Cheyenne and the state and estimated the relocation could produce about 140 jobs. "They've brought $15,000,000 of private investment money. They've asked for the state to match that into our tourism with $15,000,000," the presiding officer said.
Seth Alvestad, a policy adviser in the governor's office, told the committee the governor supports the relocation and has signaled backing in state budget correspondence. "The governor supports this project and supports this bill as written," Alvestad said, referring to Budget Letter No. 5 submitted to the Joint Appropriations Committee. Alvestad also said Cheyenne Leads has committed $15,000,000 and that the PRCA would contribute several million dollars of its own funds; he noted potential corporate sponsorships and a local ballot initiative in Laramie County could be additional sources of support.
Alvestad told the committee that distribution of the requested funding would be appropriate from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account and that the governor would sign the measure if it met the constitution's single-purpose provisions and passed legal review.
After brief committee discussion and no public testimony, members moved and seconded the bill. The committee took a roll-call vote and, as announced by the presiding officer, recorded four ayes and one no; the committee then planned to send the bill to the full Senate.
The committee did not produce additional legislative text changes on the record during the hearing; supporters emphasized the private funding commitments and potential tourism and job impacts while noting constitutional review would occur. The bill will next be considered by the full Senate.
Unidentified presiding officer introducing the bill said the project represented a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for Cheyenne and the state and estimated the relocation could produce about 140 jobs. "They've brought $15,000,000 of private investment money. They've asked for the state to match that into our tourism with $15,000,000," the presiding officer said.
Seth Alvestad, a policy adviser in the governor's office, told the committee the governor supports the relocation and has signaled backing in state budget correspondence. "The governor supports this project and supports this bill as written," Alvestad said, referring to Budget Letter No. 5 submitted to the Joint Appropriations Committee. Alvestad also said Cheyenne Leads has committed $15,000,000 and that the PRCA would contribute several million dollars of its own funds; he noted potential corporate sponsorships and a local ballot initiative in Laramie County could be additional sources of support.
Alvestad told the committee that distribution of the requested funding would be appropriate from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account and that the governor would sign the measure if it met the constitution's single-purpose provisions and passed legal review.
After brief committee discussion and no public testimony, members moved and seconded the bill. The committee took a roll-call vote and, as announced by the presiding officer, recorded four ayes and one no; the committee then planned to send the bill to the full Senate.
The committee did not produce additional legislative text changes on the record during the hearing; supporters emphasized the private funding commitments and potential tourism and job impacts while noting constitutional review would occur. The bill will next be considered by the full Senate.
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