Wyoming’s State Capitol building will be abuzz Monday when lawmakers, lobbyists, journalists and onlookers gather in Cheyenne for the 2026 legislative session.  As is tradition, Gov. Mark Gordon will deliver his State of the State address followed by Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Lynne J. Boomgaarden’s State of the Judiciary. The Legislature will then have roughly four weeks to pass the state’s next two-year budget.  The process has already stirred controversy after lawmakers proposed a series of drastic cuts during last month’s budget hearings. Rather than being driven by a financial deficit, the possible cuts to spending have been put forward by a newly empowered group of Republicans set on reshaping state government. Lawmakers will have other bills to consider, too, including legislation aimed at improving health care, giving voters and local communities more say in energy development proposals, selling state lands for housing and tightening penalties for various criminal offenses. At publishing time, 177 pieces of legislation had hit the docket for introduction. The deadline for all bill drafts to be in final form at the Legislative Service Office is noon Wednesday There’s only one bill, however, that lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to pass — the budget. What’s up with the budget? In even-numbered years, lawmakers have the responsibility of crafting the state’s next two-year financial plan.  While legislators hold the purse strings, it’s the governor who begins the process with spending recommendations. In November, Gov. Gordon released an $11.1 billion budget proposal dubbed “the essentials.”  “This budget is a roadmap, emphasizing the core principles necessary to promote a solid economy, support strong communities, maintain educational excellence, develop our natural resources responsibly, and care for our people in need,” Gordon wrote in his budget letter.  In December, the Joint Appropriations Committee began its budget hearings in Cheyenne. The panel is the Legislature’s primary budgeting arm. For three weeks, the committee considered Gordon’s recommendations, heard directly from state agencies and members of the public, and took dozens of votes on drafting the budget.  Some of the more controversial decisions by the committee included defunding and dismantling the Wyoming Business Council, halting state dollars from funding Wyoming Public Media, stripping tens of millions from the state’s health department and axing $40 million from the University of Wyoming’s block grant.  The proposed cuts did not come as a complete surprise after the Wyoming Freedom Caucus — a group of hard-line Republicans with a majority on the committee and in the House — told voters starting in April that its membership would seek dramatic change.  Getting “unchecked spending growth under control in Cheyenne” is the group’s top priority for the session.  The cuts, however, are not set in stone. It’s now up to the full Legislature to decide whether to cut, save, spend or pass a budget that does a combination of those things.  Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, and Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, clap at the start of the 2025 legislative session. (Mike Vanata/WyoFile) Starting Thursday, both chambers will begin their separate but simultaneous work on identical budget bills. Any lawmaker can propose amendments to the budget, though changes to the bill don’t usually come until second reading, which is scheduled for Feb. 17.  It usually doesn’t take long for the House and Senate to develop two different-looking budgets. During the last budget session in 2024, a particularly wide chasm of $1.1 billion formed between the two chambers.  Those differences in fiscal plans usually get worked out in a Joint Conference Committee, which is an appointed group of lawmakers from both bodies who are tasked with negotiating a unified budget.  Once a compromise is reached, the appointees return to their respective chambers where a simple majority is needed to get the budget to the governor’s desk.  What about the governor? The Wyoming Constitution gives the governor the authority to line-item veto the budget bill, meaning Gordon can only strike specific spending. He cannot make additions to the legislation.  Two years ago, after Gordon made dozens of line-item vetoes to the 2024 budget bill, the Freedom Caucus unsuccessfully pushed for a special session to override his decisions.  Gov. Mark Gordon recognizes a member of the audience during his 2025 State of the State address at the Wyoming Capitol. (Mike Vanata/WyoFile) Traditionally, Gordon has taken a hands-off approach to the legislative session, declining to comment on the process while lawmakers do their thing. That started to change in 2024, when the governor urged the Legislature to get a budget passed in the midst of rocky deliberations.  It remains to be seen this year how Gordon navigates the session, though his office has already indicated serious concerns about some of the proposed cuts. The Wyoming Constitution does limit Gordon to an extent since it bars the governor from showing “menace” to any lawmaker “by the threatened use of his veto power.” However, past governors have found ways to indicate their displeasure with lawmakers’ decision without crossing the constitutional line. What about other bills? With the exception of the budget bill, all legislation during a budget session has to clear an initial hurdle in both chambers. It must receive two-thirds support during an introductory vote.  The Freedom Caucus did not hold a majority in the House during the last budget session. But the group possessed the numbers to block any legislation on introduction — a power it ultimately wielded to the destruction of more than a dozen committee bills.  Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, addresses lawmakers during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 general session. (Mike Vanata/WyoFile) The group now has a majority, though only a simple one. The caucus will need support from other lawmakers for their bills to pass that initial two-thirds threshold.  Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who previously chaired the caucus, told WyoFile he’s not worried about it.  “It’s an election year,” he said. “If those people want to block the stuff that the people want, they’ll pay a heavy price.”  Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, currently chairs the caucus. She did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment by publishing time.  How do you weigh in? Upon passing introduction, bills are assigned to a legislative committee for consideration.  Committee meetings provide the one opportunity during the session for the public to testify in person on legislation. Most committee chairs have previously allowed voters to remotely testify. The Legislative Service Office regularly updates each day’s schedule, including committee meeting details.  Lawmakers can also be contacted directly during session through their legislator emails or by phone. Contact information can be found on the Legislature’s website. The post Wyoming’s 2026 budget session starts Monday. Here’s what you need to know. appeared first on WyoFile . ...read more read less