Appropriations panel largely guts Wyoming Business Council, orders $54.9 million in unobligated grants back to the general fund
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Summary
Lawmakers voted to reduce the Wyoming Business Council’s budget to $2 million, strip two divisions to zero, and transfer roughly $54.9 million in unobligated business‑ready community funds back to the general fund; the moves spurred an extended debate on economic development policy.
The Joint Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted to sharply reduce funding for the Wyoming Business Council (WBC), moving most unobligated business‑ready community grant funds back to the general fund and leaving a $2 million appropriation for winding down or administrative continuation.
Senator Larson led the motion to cut the council’s appropriations to $2 million and reduce two divisions’ appropriations to zero, while transferring two FTEs to the budget department for administration of prior grants and loans. He argued the action is a reset to scrutinize spending and programs. "This is a total decapitation of this outfit," said one critic during debate, who warned the cut amounted to gutting rather than resetting; supporters said the change was a necessary re‑set of an agency that had accumulated programs they judged no longer effective.
Representative Pendergraft successfully moved to transfer the WBC’s remaining unobligated BRC funds—reported in committee at roughly $54,900,000—to the general fund, and the committee accepted a motion to make that transfer. The committee also added a footnote preserving a $2 million residual in the account to be used only by the budget office for administering previously appropriated grants and loans if needed; committee members directed staff to draft implementing language and noted potential interactions with forthcoming legislation.
Committee members debated consequences for local economic development, infrastructure and future grant applicants. Representative Sherwood and others warned the cuts could discourage business recruitment and long‑term development; proponents said stewardship of taxpayer money required rethinking the council’s mission.
What happens next: committee staff will draft bill language for the transfers and any statutory changes; the decisions will be reconciled during the full budget process and could be affected by pending committee bills.