Wyoming committee approves reenlistment and referral bonuses for National Guard
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Summary
The Select Water Committee recommended do-pass on Senate Files 12 and 13, advancing state-funded reenlistment and referral bonuses for the Wyoming National Guard after testimony from Major General Porter about recruitment shortfalls and targeted incentives; both bills passed committee roll-call votes.
The Select Water Committee voted to recommend do-pass on two measures to add or amend bonus programs for the Wyoming National Guard, advancing state-funded reenlistment and referral incentives intended to blunt post-deployment attrition and competition from neighboring states.
Major General Porter told the committee that the Army National Guard currently sits around 97% of authorized strength and the Air Guard about 93%, and that deployments and regional incentives increase turnover. He said the department aims for a staffed ‘‘102%’’ to meet state and federal obligations and cited neighboring states’ $1,000 referral bonuses compared with Wyoming’s current $500 program.
Senators pressed Porter on eligibility and funding. Porter said the enlistment bonus in the bill primarily targets members completing their first term (first six years) but could be applied selectively to retain people with hard-to-fill skills who are on second or later enlistments. He told the committee that federal expansion-bonus programs exist but that this legislation is intended mainly as a state-funded retention tool.
Public commenters including Bill Winnie of Sublette County spoke in support, noting the Guard’s role in state emergency responses and urging the legislature to provide competitive incentives. The committee voted by roll call on Senate File 12; the clerk recorded five ayes and the bill received a do-pass recommendation.
On Senate File 13, which amends referral provisions, Porter described the program as a two-year (biennial) authorization and said the referral bonus has been effective in other states. Committee members debated the fiscal-note figures during consideration: a fiscal note number was referenced as "1.63" by a senator and the general acknowledged an earlier committee arithmetic confusion, saying the intended committee figure was $250 (as discussed in committee). The vice chair moved an amendment to adjust line items to bring totals to "2.50" as read in the hearing; the amendment passed and a roll-call vote on the amended bill recorded five ayes, yielding a do-pass-amended recommendation.
Next steps: both bills were advanced by the committee and will proceed to floor consideration under the Senate’s calendar and rules.