The Joint Appropriations Committee amended and approved multiple bills aimed at improving state wildfire response capacity, workforce retention and firefighter compensation.

Tamara Ravelli of Legislative Service Office presented working drafts for three related bills. The committee first reviewed a smoke-buster/inmate module leader bill (26LSO0311) that would authorize two full‑time positions and $750,000 in total funding; members asked staff to refine the fiscal note and tabled further action to permit additional analysis.

The committee then took up 26LSO0310, the wildland fire suppression module. LSO described the bill as authorizing 12 positions and an initial appropriation; committee members proposed and adopted amendments to specify one full‑time regional fire manager and one module leader among the positions and to convert seasonal at‑will positions to temporary full‑time positions. Representative Harrelson moved, and members approved, an increase in the appropriation from $1,580,000 to $2,572,000 to better align with the governor’s preferred module design.

"The governor’s module is more thought through and effective for state forestry and wildfire suppression," Forrester Norris, State Forester, said, supporting the structural changes and urging an earlier effective date so the positions can be usable for the upcoming fire season.

On a roll call the committee adopted the amended 26LSO0310 (working draft 0.5 as amended). Recorded votes (Aye/No): Representative Almand (Aye), Representative Angelos (Aye), Representative Harrelson (Aye), Representative Pentograph (Aye), Representative Sherwood (Aye), Representative Smith (Aye), Senator Driscoll (Aye), Senator French (No), Senator Garou (Aye), Senator Larson (Aye), Co‑chair Salazar (Aye), Chairman Bair (Aye). The committee assigned the bill to the House for further action.

Representative Sherwood presented two additional bills to improve recruitment and retention: 26LSO0301 would permit selected State Forestry employees to participate in firefighter/law-enforcement retirement plans; the LSO fiscal memo estimated an initial appropriation of $181,000. David Swinell of the Wyoming Retirement System told the committee the proposed additions would be actuarially manageable and slightly beneficial to the plan funding dynamics. The committee adopted 26LSO0301 on a unanimous roll call and will carry it as a House bill.

Sherwood also presented 26LSO0302 to authorize paid rest time and hazard pay for state wildfire firefighters, aligning state policy with federal hazard definitions. The committee adopted an amendment to accelerate the effective date (moved to May 1, 2026) and a conforming appropriation increase from $390,000 to $422,500. The amended bill passed on roll call with one No vote from Senator French; the bill will be carried to the House.

Votes at a glance: 26LSO0310 (wildland fire suppression module) — amended and adopted (Aye 11, No 1); 26LSO0301 (forestry retirement portability) — adopted unanimously; 26LSO0302 (paid leave/hazard pay) — adopted as amended (Aye 11, No 1); smoke-buster module (26LSO0311) — held for further fiscal refinement and not advanced.

Next steps: committee staff will produce updated fiscal notes and working drafts for further work Friday; the committee asked sponsors and LSO to produce conforming language for effective dates and to finalize the numeric fiscal notes before floor filing.