Joint Appropriations Committee reinstates multiple budget provisions, tables demolition decision for Evanston state hospital

The Wyoming Joint Appropriations Committee on an override session reinstated multiple items the governor had vetoed in the supplemental budget bill and postponed a final decision on demolition at the former Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston.

Committee members voted to override the governor's veto on several sections and footnotes of the supplemental budget bill, restoring language that affects community college workforce programs, K-12 and charter school provisions, certain programmatic funding and restrictions on how reappropriated funds may be used. Committee staff and agency witnesses provided briefings while members moved through individual items by motion and voice vote.

The votes reinstate several specific items the legislature had previously included in the bill. Committee staff explained the technical effect of reinstating Section 307 language: once a section is vetoed and then overridden it will be reinserted under a different section number to avoid number reuse. Mr. Richards, the committee staff presenter, said, "Once an entire section is vetoed, it's our practice...we don't reuse those numbers to avoid any confusion in the future." The committee's action therefore restored the legislature's original conforming amendments and flexibilities tied to Section 307 in the supplemental bill.

Why it matters: the overrides return programmatic direction and spending restrictions to the bill that the governor had removed. Restored language affects how agencies may transfer or expend appropriations, whether several education and agricultural programs appear in a department's standard budget, and the permissible use or reversion of targeted funds. For some items the committee also asked agencies to provide status updates before final floor action to ensure the committee understands whether funds have already been spent.

Key outcomes and supporting details - Education and agricultural programs: The committee voted to restore language placing Wyoming Ag in the Classroom, We the People (civics), and the Centennial Farm and Ranch programs into the standard budget for the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources (agency 24).…