2023 Wyoming legislative session
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| 2023 Wyoming legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 10, 2023 Session end: March 3, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Ogden Driskill House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the Wyoming State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10, 2023 and adjourn on March 3, 2023.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 29-2 majority in the Senate and a 57-5 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Wyoming was one of 18 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
Wyoming State Senate
- Senate president: Ogden Driskill (R)
- Majority leader: Larry S. Hicks (R)
- Minority leader: Chris Rothfuss (D)
Wyoming House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Albert Sommers (R)
- Majority leader: Chip Neiman (R)
- Minority leader: Mike Yin (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
Wyoming was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 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 18 state legislatures where the Republican 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 2023 legislative session.
Wyoming State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 2 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Total | 31 | |
Wyoming House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 57 | |
| Total | 62 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 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 in 2023. 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 2023 legislative session, there were 26 standing committees in Wyoming's state government, including two joint legislative committees, 12 state Senate committees, and 12 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Management Audit Committee
- Management Council Committee
Senate committees
- 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
- 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
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 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 |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2022, 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 2022. As a result of redistricting following the 2020 census, the chamber increased from 30 to 31 members. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Republicans | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
After the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 20-10 majority in the state Senate. The Republican majority gradually expanded until, after the 2022 elections, Republicans had a 29-2 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.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Wyoming House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of redistricting following the 2020 census, the chamber increased from 60 to 62 members. The table below shows the partisan history of the Wyoming House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 19 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Republicans | 41 | 47 | 43 | 43 | 46 | 45 | 46 | 43 | 41 | 51 | 52 | 51 | 52 | 50 | 51 | 57 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
After the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 41-19 majority. The Republican majority gradually expanded until, after the 2022 elections, Republicans had a 57-5 majority, with two independents. 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.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
See also
| Elections | Wyoming State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
