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Senate committee recommends ‘do not pass’ on bill to make University of Wyoming trustees elected
Summary
The Senate Education Committee recommended a do‑not‑pass for House Bill 148, which proposed expanding the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees to include seven elected trustees. Committee members and the governor’s office cited constitutional language assigning appointment authority to the governor.
The Senate Education Committee voted to recommend that House Bill 148 not pass after a lengthy debate that centered on constitutional constraints and governance questions.
Representative Rachel Rodriguez Williams sponsored HB 148, which proposed increasing the University of Wyoming board from an appointed board to a 19‑member board with 14 voting trustees (seven appointed by the governor and seven elected from judicial appointment districts) and five ex‑officio nonvoting trustees. Representative Rodriguez Williams framed the bill as an effort to expand public representation and accountability at the state’s land‑grant university.
The governor’s chief of staff, Drew Perkins, appeared for the Office of the Governor and relayed the administration’s legal concern: he cited Article 7, Section 17 of the Wyoming Constitution and advised that the clause “consisting of not less than seven members, to be appointed by the governor” is textually clear and that the provision has been construed to mean appointment authority vests with the governor. Perkins told the committee the governor’s office regards the measure as inconsistent with the constitution.
Committee discussion focused on constitutional construction. Some senators said the text and punctuation of Article 7, Section 17 unambiguously require appointment by the governor and that a change of this kind would require a constitutional amendment rather than a statutory change. Representatives of public groups gave mixed testimony: the Wyoming Farm Bureau said its members value elected boards but also urged adherence to the constitution and suggested an opinion from the attorney general would clarify the path forward. Witnesses for and against the idea argued over whether elected trustees would improve representation or create unwieldy governance.
After debate the committee voted to report HB 148 to the Senate with a recommendation that it do not pass. A roll‑call vote recorded three ayes for the do‑not‑pass recommendation and two no votes (committee split). The committee noted opponents' constitutional concerns and requested that those constitutional questions be resolved before further action on governance changes.
