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2019 Wyoming legislative session
| Wyoming State Legislature | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | None |
| Session start: | January 8, 2019 |
| Session end: | February 28, 2019 |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Drew Perkins (R) |
| House Speaker: | Steve Harshman (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Senate: Dan Dockstader (R) House: Eric Barlow (R) |
| Minority Leader: | Senate: Chris Rothfuss (D) House: Cathy Connolly (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 30 (Senate), 60 (House) |
| Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art 3, Wyoming Constitution |
| Salary: | $150/day + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last election: | November 6, 2018 Senate House |
| Next election: | November 3, 2020 Senate House |
| Redistricting: | Wyoming Legislature has control |
Wyoming convened its legislative session on January 8, 2019, and legislators remained in session until February 28, 2019. Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, as they did in 2018. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 27-3 majority in the Senate and a 50-9 majority in the House (plus one independent). The party also controlled the governorship, meaning there was a Republican state government trifecta.
Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.
Partisan control in 2019
- See also: State government trifectas
Wyoming was one of 22 Republican trifectas at the start of 2019 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Wyoming was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Wyoming State Legislature in the 2019 legislative session.
Wyoming State Senate
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 3 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | |
| Total | 30 | |
Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the Wyoming State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Wyoming State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Wyoming State Senate election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Republicans | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
After the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 20-10 majority in the state Senate. The Republican majority gradually expanded until, after the 2018 elections, Republicans had a 27-3 majority. Republicans gained three seats in 2004 and 2010. The only election in which Democrats gained seats was in 1998, when they picked up one seat.
Wyoming House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Republican Party | 50 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 60 | |
Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the Wyoming House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Wyoming House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Wyoming House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 19 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Republicans | 41 | 47 | 43 | 43 | 46 | 45 | 46 | 43 | 41 | 51 | 52 | 51 | 52 | 50 |
After the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 41-19 majority. The Republican majority gradually expanded until, after the 2018 elections, Republicans had a 50-9 majority. The most significant shift in the partisan balance of the state House occurred as a result of the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained 10 seats.
Leadership in 2019
Wyoming State Senate
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Wyoming House of Representatives
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Regular session
The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2019 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria yet in 2019. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session, there were 36 standing committees in Wyoming's state government, including 12 joint legislative committees, 12 state Senate committees, and 12 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Agriculture and Water
- Air Transportation Liaison Committee
- CSG West - Health
- Canada Relations
- Colorado River Advisory Committee
- Colorado River Basin Forum
- Department of Family Services Advisory Council
- Education Commission of the States
- Educational Attainment Executive Council
- Energy & Environment
- Energy Council
- Executive Committee
- Indian Child Welfare Act Task Force
- Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision
- Interstate Compact for Juveniles
- Interstate Compact on Students of Military Families
- Investment Funds Committee
- Legislative Artwork Donation Program Committee
- Legislative Oversight Working Group
- Management Audit Committee
- Management Council Committee
- Mental Health & Vulnerable Adult Task Force
- Military and Veterans Affairs Task Force
- Multistate Highway Transportation Agreement Cooperating Committee
- NCSL - Natural Resources and Infrastructure
- Redistricting and Elections Task Force
- Regulatory Reduction Task Force
- Sage Grouse Implementation Team
- Small Business Assistance Program Advisory Panel
- State Building Commission Liaison
- State Employee Compensation Commission
- State Retirement Board Liaison
- State Workforce Investment Board
- Task Force on Innovations in State Health Systems
- Transportation Commission Liaison
- UW Energy Resource Council
- Wyoming Court Security Commission
- Wyoming Gaming Commission
Senate committees
- Financial Advisory Council
- Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Journal Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee
- Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee
- Senate Revenue Committee
- Senate Rules and Procedure Committee
- Senate Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee
- Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee
House committees
- CSG National - Shared State Legislation
- Enhanced Oil Recovery Commission
- House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Journal Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee
- House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee
- House Revenue Committee
- House Rules and Procedure Committee
- House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee
- House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee
- Housing
- Labor & Economic Development
- NCSL - Budgets and Revenue
- NCSL - Communications, Financial Services & Interstate Commerce
- NCSL - Education
- NCSL - Health and Human Services
- NCSL - Law and Criminal Justice
- Public Safety
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Wyoming Constitution can be amended:
The Wyoming Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Wyoming requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Legislature
A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Wyoming State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 42 votes in the Wyoming House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Wyoming State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 3 of Article 20 of the Wyoming Constitution, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Wyoming State Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. If a simple majority of voters approve the question, then the legislature needs to call for a convention during its next session.
Historical context:
- Between 1996 and 2018, 28 measures appeared on the ballot in Wyoming.
- From 1996 to 2018, an average of two measures appeared on the ballot in even-numbered years.
- Between 1996 and 2018, 18 of 28 measures, or 64 percent, were approved, and 10 of 28 measures, or 36 percent, were defeated.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Wyoming.
Wyoming Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
| Elections | Wyoming State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
