Senate rejects governor‑authority amendment to rural health transformation plan; bill later passes

Senator Scott offered a third‑reading amendment to House Bill 122 (Wyoming Rural Health Transformation Program) that would let the governor adjust certain percentage allocations in the omnibus plan if doing so helped the state reach an agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Scott said the measure was intended to avoid convening a special session if negotiations required modest program‑allocation changes.

Debate sharply divided senators. Supporters said the amendment would give negotiating flexibility and potentially save the Legislature from reconvening; they emphasized the difficulty of working with CMS and the importance of stretching federal funds to address Wyoming’s high fixed health‑care costs. Opponents—including Senators Gru, Salazar and Brennan—argued that giving away negotiating authority could undermine the state's bargaining position and that the plan, as crafted by the joint appropriations committee, should stand.

The amendment failed on the floor. The Senate then proceeded to a roll call on the bill. The assistant chief clerk recorded the third‑reading roll call; the presiding officer announced the result as 26 I, 5 No, and House Bill 122 passed the Senate.

Why it matters: The legislation implements and channels federal Rural Health Transformation funds; the failed amendment was a high‑stakes question about executive flexibility versus legislative control and negotiating leverage with a federal agency.

Next steps: House Bill 122 will proceed to the next steps in the enactment process with the Senate’s version intact.