Wyoming Legislative Services Office struggles with program evaluation staffing and funding

The Management Audit Committee of the Wyoming Legislature convened on May 23, 2025, to discuss the critical status of the program evaluation function within the Legislative Service Office (LSO). Director Obrecht highlighted a significant decline in program evaluation capabilities, revealing that the last comprehensive evaluation was conducted in 2018. Since then, the program evaluation staff has been reduced, with resources redirected to other areas, particularly the budget fiscal division, which has seen its personnel grow from four to nine over the past decade.

The committee previously considered hiring a consultant to assess the program evaluation function but ultimately opted not to pursue that route. Instead, they drafted two bills: one to authorize seven new positions at LSO for program evaluation, costing approximately one million dollars annually, and another to suspend all program evaluation activities for five years. Neither bill advanced, leaving the program evaluation function effectively dormant.

Obrecht emphasized the importance of program evaluations, which assess whether state programs are functioning as intended, distinct from financial audits conducted by the state auditor's office. He expressed a preference for hiring staff to restore the program evaluation function rather than relying solely on third-party consultants for one-off evaluations.

Committee members raised questions about the potential for financial audits of state agencies, clarifying that while the committee has the authority to request such audits, they would need to hire external firms due to a lack of in-house financial auditing expertise. The discussion underscored the need for a more robust evaluation framework to ensure state programs are effective and efficient.

As the committee concluded, Obrecht reiterated the necessity for resources to reinvigorate the program evaluation function, suggesting that a national consultant could provide insights into best practices from other states. The committee's next steps remain uncertain, but the call for action is clear: without adequate staffing and resources, Wyoming's program evaluation capabilities will continue to languish.