University of Wyoming governance-elected trustees.

25LSO-0506
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0506
Introduced
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0148

University of Wyoming governance-elected trustees.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Rodriguez-Williams, Bear, Haroldson and Pendergraft and Senator(s) Hicks, Laursen, D and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the University of Wyoming board of trustees; increasing the members of the board of trustees; providing for election of trustees as specified; specifying election requirements; making conforming amendments; specifying requirements for the initial election and initial terms of elected trustees; specifying expiration of existing appointed trustee terms; specifying requirements for appointment and terms of appointed trustees after the 2026 general election; repealing duplicative provisions; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
201, 21
‑
17
‑
202(a) and by creating a new subsection (c), 22
‑
2
‑
101(a) by creating a new paragraph (xi), 22
‑
2
‑
104(e), 22
‑
5
‑
101, 22
‑
5
‑
208(c), 22
‑
6
‑
125(a) by creating a new paragraph (ix) and by renumbering (ix) through (xiv) as (x) through (xv), 22
‑
6
‑
128, 22
‑
18
‑
111(a)(intro) and (b), 22
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22
‑
101, 22
‑
22
‑
102(a) and (c), 22
‑
22
‑
201 by creating a new subsection (c), 22
‑
22
‑
202(a), 22
‑
22
‑
301, 22
‑
22
‑
302 and 22
‑
22
‑
304(a)(i), (ii) and (iv) are amended to read:

21
‑
17
‑
201.

Composition; appointment and election of members; qualifications of members; members ex officio; quorum.

The government of the university is vested in a board of
twelve (12)
nineteen (19)

trustees
, with fourteen (14) voting trustees and five (5) ex officio, nonvoting trustees. Seven (7) of the voting trustees shall be
appointed by the governor
, no two (2) of whom may be residents of the same county of the state

and the remaining seven (7) voting trustees shall be elected as provided by law
. At least one (1)
voting
trustee shall be appointed
by the governor, and at least one (1) voting trustee shall be elected
from each appointment district
pursuant to
as designated in
W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
218. Not more than seventy
‑
five percent (75%) of the
members of the board
appointed trustees
shall be registered in the same political party. The governor, the president of the university,
the director of the Wyoming community college commission,
the state superintendent of public instruction and the president of the associated students of the university are
members
ex officio
trustees
, having the right to speak, but not to vote. A majority of the
voting trustees of the
board is a quorum.

21
‑
17
‑
202.

Term; vacancies; appointment of successors; vacancies; members of faculty disqualified; removal.

(a)

Except as otherwise provided by law for the initial trustees appointed by the governor after the 2026 general election, t
he term of office of the
appointed
trustees
appointed
is six (6) years
and shall be in accordance with W.S 28
‑
12
‑
103
. During each session of the legislature, the governor shall nominate, and with the advice and consent of the senate, appoint successors to those
appointed
trustees whose term of office has expired or will expire before the next session of the legislature. Any vacancy in the
board of
appointed
trustees caused by death, resignation, removal from the state or otherwise, shall be filled by appointment by the governor
and confirmed by the senate
as provided in W.S. 28
‑
12
‑
101
and 28
‑
12
‑
102
. No member of the faculty, while holding that position, shall ever be appointed a trustee. The governor may remove any
appointed

trustee as provided in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
202.

(c)

Except as otherwise provided by law for the initial elected trustees, the term of office of the elected trustees is four (4) years. Any vacancy under the circumstances provided by W.S. 22
‑
18
‑
101 of an elected trustee shall be filled within thirty (30) days by action of the remaining trustees. A person chosen to fill a vacancy shall serve until the next election of University of Wyoming trustees. An election shall then be held to fill any unexpired term.

22
‑
2
‑
101.

Applicability and construction of Election Code generally.

(a)

Chapters 1 through 28 of this Election Code apply to the following elections:

(xi)

University of Wyoming board of trustees elections.

22
‑
2
‑
104.

Election dates.

(e)

The election of members of the board of trustees of each school district
,

and
community college district

and the elected University of Wyoming trustees
shall be held for each district
and the University of Wyoming
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in general election years.

22
‑
5
‑
101.

How candidates nominated.

Nominations of candidates for all offices filled at a general election, except school and community college district offices
, the elected University of Wyoming trustees
and special district offices, may be made by primary election, by petition for nomination as an independent candidate as provided in W.S. 22
‑
5
‑
301 through 22
‑
5
‑
308 or by convention as provided in W.S. 22
‑
4
‑
303 and 22
‑
4
‑
406.

22
‑
5
‑
208.

Filing fees; exception.

(c)

A filing fee shall not be required of candidates for special district director, school district trustee, community college trustee,
elected University of Wyoming trustee,
precinct committeeman or precinct committeewoman.

22
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6
‑
125.

Order of offices and ballot propositions on nonpartisan ballots.

(a)

The nonpartisan ballot shall contain the offices and ballot propositions to be voted on in the following order:

(ix)

Candidates for elected University of Wyoming board of trustees;

(ix)
(x)

Candidates for special district directors;

(x)
(xi)

Candidates for other offices of county subdivisions;

(xi)
(xii)

Constitutional amendments;

(xii)
(xiii)

Initiative propositions;

(xiii)
(xiv)

Referendum propositions;

(xiv)
(xv)

Other ballot propositions.

22
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6
‑
128.

Ballots for other elections.

At the county clerk's discretion, separate ballots for bond, school and community college districts,
the elected University of Wyoming board of trustees
and special district elections may be required and shall be provided by the authority responsible for holding the election. Ballots shall conform as nearly as possible to general requirements specified by law for the general election ballot, except as otherwise specifically provided.

22
‑
18
‑
111.

Vacancies in other offices; temporary appointments.

(a)

Any vacancy in any other elective office in the state except representative in congress
,

or
the
elected
board of trustees of a school
or
district,
community college district
or the University of Wyoming
, shall be filled by the governing body, or as otherwise provided in this section, by appointment of a temporary successor. The person appointed shall serve until a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term is elected at the next general election and takes office on the first Monday of the following January.

Provided, if a vacancy in a four (4) year term of office occurs in the term's second or subsequent years after the first day for filing an application for nomination pursuant to W.S. 22
‑
5
‑
209, no election to fill the vacancy shall be held and the temporary successor appointed shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

The following apply:

(b)

The trustees of a school or community college district
or the University of Wyoming
shall fill
a
an elected office

vacancy
in office
by temporary appointment in a manner provided by law. If the trustees
of a school or community college district or the University of Wyoming
fail to appoint a person qualified to hold the office to fill
a
an elected office
vacancy within thirty (30) days from the date the vacancy occurs, or if, for any reason, the entire membership of the board of trustees of a school or community college district
or the University of Wyoming
is depleted, the board of county commissioners of the county or counties involved, within ten (10) days of either occurrence, shall appoint a person qualified to hold the office to fill each
elected office
vacancy until the next election at which time an election shall be held to fill the unexpired term, and each appointee shall serve until his successor is elected and qualified. Each appointee shall be a resident of the
appointment district,
trustee residence area, or election subdistrict, if any, previously represented.

CHAPTER 22
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ELECTIONS

22
‑
22
‑
101.

Cost of school or community college district or the University of Wyoming board of trustees elections.

The cost of a school or community college district
or the University of Wyoming's board of trustees
election or equitably proportioned shares of a concurrent election as determined by the county clerk shall be paid by the appropriate board from the funds of the school district
,

or
the
community college district
or the University of Wyoming
.

22
‑
22
‑
102.

Date of election of trustees; terms.

(a)

The election of members of the board of trustees of each school district
,

and
each
community college district
and the University of Wyoming
shall be held at the regular polling places for each district on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November in general election years, except as otherwise provided by law. Terms of office shall run for four (4) years beginning at 12:00 noon on the first day in December following the election, except as otherwise provided by law.

(c)

Not more than a simple majority of members of the board of trustees of each school district
,

and
each community college district
and the seven (7) elected trustees of the University of Wyoming
shall be elected at any election unless the election is to fill an unexpired term. This subsection shall not apply to the election of the initial board of a community college district
,

or
the first regular election of a community college district board
or the initial election of the seven (7) elected University of Wyoming trustees
.

22
‑
22
‑
201.

Eligibility for office.

(c)

A qualified elector resident in an appointment district designated in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
218(b) is eligible to hold the office of an elected University of Wyoming trustee for that appointment district as provided in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
201.

22
‑
22
‑
202.

Filing of application; form.

(a)

A qualified elector may be nominated for the office of school district trustee
,

or
member of a community college board
or elected University of Wyoming trustee
by filing an application for election in the office of the county clerk not more than ninety (90) nor less than seventy (70) days prior to the election. The application shall be in substantially the following form:

APPLICATION FOR ELECTION FOR SCHOOL
,

OR
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OR UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
TRUSTEE

I, the undersigned, swear or affirm that I was born on ...., ....(year), and that I have been a resident of the State of Wyoming since ...., and that I am a registered voter of the ....
appointment district designated by W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
218(b) and 21
‑
17
‑
201 for the elected University of Wyoming's trustees or of the
school district or community college district (and resident of trustee residence area or subdistrict ...., if any), residing at ...., and I do hereby request that my name, ...., be printed on the ballot of the election to be held on the .... day of ...., ....(year), as a candidate for the office of .... for a term of .... years. I hereby declare that if I am elected, I will qualify for the office.

Dated: ....

.......... (Signature of Candidate)

.... Name as it is to appear on the ballot

ARTICLE 3
SCHOOL, COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY OF
WYOMING ELECTION PROCEDURE

22
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22
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301.

Definitions.

As used in this article
including W.S. 22
‑
22
‑
301 through 22
‑
22
‑
308, inclusive,
the term "district" refers to a community college district board or a school district board of trustees.

22
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22
‑
302.

Conduct of elections.

Unless specifically otherwise provided, a school or community college district
or the University of Wyoming trustee
election shall be governed by the laws regulating statewide elections and in even
‑
numbered years be conducted and canvassed by the same election officials, using the same poll lists, and at the same times and polling places, as county elections.

22
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22
‑
304.

Ballot information; format.

(a)

The official ballot shall contain the following information:

(i)

The name of the school district
,

or
community college district
or the appointment district designated in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
218(b) for elected University of Wyoming trustees as provided in W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
201
;

(ii)

The county or counties in which the district
or appointment district
is located;

(iv)

In districts divided into trustee residence areas or subdistricts, the trustee residence area or subdistrict of each candidate and the number to be elected from each trustee residence area or subdistrict
. For the elected University of Wyoming trustees, the counties included in the appointment district and the number to be elected from the appointment district designated in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
218(b)
;

Section 2.

W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
202(b) and 21
‑
17
‑
207 are repealed.

Section 3.

(a)

The terms of the seven (7) University of Wyoming trustees elected at the first regular election after the effective date of this act shall begin as provided by W.S. 22
‑
22
‑
102(a). The four (4) elected trustees receiving the highest number of votes at the election shall serve four (4) year terms and the elected trustees receiving the next three (3) highest number of votes at the election shall serve two (2) year terms. Thereafter, all terms shall be for four (4) years in accordance with W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
202(a).

(b)

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, the terms of the twelve (12) existing appointed trustees shall expire at 11:59 a.m. on the first day in December following the 2026 general election. As provided by W.S. 28
‑
12
‑
101, the governor shall appoint seven (7) trustees to the University of Wyoming board of trustees. As designated by the governor, four (4) appointed trustees shall serve six (6) year terms and three (3) appointed trustees shall serve three (3) year terms. Thereafter, all terms shall be for six (6) years in accordance with W.S. 21
‑
17
‑
202(a).

Section 4.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

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HB0148