Wyoming Senate overrides series of gubernatorial vetoes affecting university funding, personnel and budgets

The Wyoming Senate on March 6 voted to override a series of gubernatorial vetoes that restored language affecting state workforce limits, University of Wyoming budget footnotes, and several executive‑branch spending and personnel controls.

Senators considered each vetoed item separately under a motion from the majority floor leader to address the governor’s objections to parts of Senate Enrolled Act No. 27 (original Senate File 1). The overrides included restoring: limits on the number of employees in a legislative‑authorized section; University of Wyoming footnotes requiring an external review and a $100,000 ongoing general‑fund adjustment; a footnote setting a $5 million savings identification requirement; a Department of Education reclassification on a charter‑board executive‑director position; restrictions on personal‑service transfers in the executive branch; limits on salary increases for the 2029–2030 biennium; and an appropriation for the Business Ready Communities account.

Senator Anderson moved the override of the University of Wyoming footnote that would have required an outside consultant for an external financial and operational review and made a $100,000 ongoing general‑fund adjustment. The chief clerk’s roll call showed the override carried, 29 ayes, 2 excused.

Senator Olson moved a separate override restoring footnote language that required identification of $5,000,000 in savings (or would preserve a $10,000,000 general‑fund condition). That motion passed on roll call, 25 ayes to 4 no, with 2 excused.

On personnel and executive‑authority provisions, the Senate restored a limit on personal‑service transfers (section 307) that restricts the executive branch’s ability to move funds into payroll lines; Senator Grupp’s motion passed, 28 ayes, 1 no, 2 excused. Senator McKeown’s motion to restore a limit on salary increases for the next biennium (section 310) also carried, 28 ayes, 1 no, 2 excused.

Senator Hicks moved and the body approved restoring language appropriating dollars to the Business Ready Communities account (sections 317 a and b); the override passed, 24 ayes, 5 no, 2 excused.

Floor discussion was succinct. Senator Hicks characterized several items as part of joint conference compromises and asked colleagues for affirmative votes; the bill presentations and motions were handled largely by the movers and the clerk’s roll calls. One senator said the legislature needs tools to “control the total size of state government” as a rationale for preserving legislative authority over employee counts.

The overrides apply to the specific language identified in the governor’s veto message and were recorded in separate roll calls, as the Senate followed the procedural requirement to consider each vetoed item individually. With those overrides approved, the Senate proceeded to adjourn until its next scheduled meeting.

Votes at a glance: VT002 (University footnote / external audit and $100,000) — 29 ayes, 2 excused; VT003 (University footnote / $5,000,000 savings identification) — 25 ayes, 4 no, 2 excused; VT005 (section 307 personal services transfers) — 28 ayes, 1 no, 2 excused; VT006 (section 310 salary limits) — 28 ayes, 1 no, 2 excused; VT007 (business ready communities appropriation) — 24 ayes, 5 no, 2 excused. Other individual veto items were also considered in separate motions during the session.

The Senate adjourned to caucus during the sequence of votes and later stood adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11.