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Senate amends and passes House Bill 33, directing an initial $50 million toward I‑80 tunnel repairs
Summary
The Wyoming Senate adopted a substantive amendment to House Bill 33 that converts a proposed diversion of sales-and-use tax receipts into an appropriation and directs the first $50,000,000 to I‑80 tunnel work; the amended bill then passed on final reading.
The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 25 adopted a key amendment to House Bill 33 and then passed the bill, moving a portion of sales-and-use tax revenue into the state highway funding stream and directing an initial allocation to repairs on Interstate 80 tunnel facilities.
The amendment, offered by Senator Dan Driscoll, replaced language that would have directly diverted tax receipts with language that appropriates the funds to the Department of Transportation and earmarks the first $50,000,000 for tunnel entrances and tunnel repairs on I‑80. "Folks, what this does is, kinda runs the bill back to its original intent," Driscoll told the Senate during debate.
Supporters said the amendment clarifies the fiscal treatment of the revenue and provides a faster way to get funds to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (YDOT) for urgent tunnel work. Senator Hicks, who raised concerns about tracking and long‑term budgeting, said the amendment's change from a diversion to an appropriation means the funding will be visible in future budgets: "There—'s a fundamental difference between a diversion and an appropriation... it will show up in the budget, and it'll say it's an ongoing expense." Senator Jones described travel conditions through the tunnel and urged passage: "It's just a matter of time before we have another accident in there... we need to get this money to the DOT."
Senator Driscoll said the change preserves the current funding source while making it appropriated out of the state general fund mechanism so the tunnel money can be available immediately; he added that the appropriation would revert to the highway fund if federal funding later becomes available. "We're now gonna take the money out of the general fund... This is gonna get us on the right track," Driscoll said.
The Senate adopted the amendment by roll call. The clerk announced the adoption of the amendment with the tally read on the floor: "On the amendment, 29 aye, 2 no." The body then proceeded to final passage of the bill; the chief clerk announced the closing vote on final passage on the floor as recorded: "House bill 33, 20 5 I, 6 no." The clerk then declared House Bill 33 passed by the Senate.
The amendment and passage set out an immediate funding path for highway maintenance and for repairs to the I‑80 tunnel system, and include a mechanism described on the floor for backfilling the Local School Revenue Account (LSRA) when sales-and-use taxes are reconciled at fiscal year end.
Implementation and next steps will depend on budget actions and on coordination with YDOT. Senators who supported the amendment said they intend to pursue long‑term highway funding solutions after this initial appropriation.
Votes at a glance and committee referrals recorded on the floor also show the bill moved through the conference and committee processes prior to final passage.
