Wyoming Senate adopts supplemental budget amendments for maternal care, behavioral health and cultural projects; rejects some staffing requests

Cheyenne — The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 5 adopted a package of supplemental budget amendments to Senate File 1 that added targeted funding for Medicaid maternal-care rates, behavioral-health provider rates, child development centers and several building-maintenance and cultural projects, while rejecting some staffing requests and a proposal to draw money from the tourism reserve for search-and-rescue funding.

Why it matters: The changes reallocate state dollars outside the regular budget cycle to address what senators described as urgent needs — declining local access to maternity care, a strained behavioral-health system and long-running gaps in early-childhood intervention services — and to preserve and curate state historical material.

The Senate approved a mix of ongoing and one-time appropriations and voted down several amendments that sought to create or restore positions funded in different accounts. Sponsors and opponents debated appropriate funding sources and whether items belonged in a supplemental bill rather than the biennial budget.

Major outcomes

- Maternal care: The Senate adopted an amendment that appropriates $1,195,135 in general-fund dollars to be matched by federal funds to raise Medicaid reimbursement for maternity services toward Medicare-equivalent levels. Sponsors said the change aims to slow the loss of obstetric services in parts of the state that have recently closed labor-and-delivery units.

- Behavioral health: Lawmakers approved an $833,153 appropriation, also matched by federal funds, to rebase behavioral-health provider rates. Supporters said the majority of Medicaid behavioral-health patients are children and that higher rates are needed to keep providers in the state.

- Child development centers: The Senate added ongoing funding intended to support early intervention and child-development services. Backers argued earlier intervention…