HB0271 • 2025

Common school account-spending policy amount.

AN ACT relating to the investment of state funds; decreasing the spending policy amount for the common school account within the permanent land fund; specifying the disposition of investment earnings and federal mineral royalties; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Education

Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor: Representative Bear
Last action: 2025-03-03
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on conforming amendments or the exact disposition of investment earnings beyond reducing spending limits.

Changes to School Fund Spending Rules

The bill changes how money from the common school account within the permanent land fund can be spent and reduces the amount that can be taken out each year.

What This Bill Does

Reduces the spending limit for the common school account in the permanent land fund to 4.75% for fiscal year 2026, then to 4.5% starting from fiscal year 2027.
Specifies how extra money should be handled and where it goes when earnings exceed the spending policy.

Who It Names or Affects

The state government, especially those managing funds in the permanent land fund.
Schools and education programs funded by the common school account.

Terms To Know

Permanent Land Fund: A special fund that holds money from selling or leasing public lands to support schools and other state needs.
Common School Account: Part of the Permanent Land Fund used specifically for funding Wyoming's public school system.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if there are no earnings to distribute.
It is unclear how this change will affect schools' budgets in future years.
This bill has been marked as inactive, meaning it may not be considered further in the current session.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB0271H2001

2nd reading • Representative Harshman

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the rules for how much money can be spent from a special fund called the common school account, adjusting when and by how much this spending limit will decrease over time.

Adds a new rule that through fiscal year 2026, the current spending policy amount remains unchanged.
After fiscal year 2026, starting from fiscal year 2027, the spending policy amount will be reduced by 0.05% each year for five years and then set at a fixed rate of 4.75%.

The amendment text does not provide details on what happens to the money saved from reducing the spending limit.

HB0271H2002

2nd reading • Representative Clouston

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment removes a previous change to the bill and updates the spending policy amount for the common school account within the permanent land fund from four percent to four and three-quarters percent.

Removes the previous amendment (HB0271H2001/A) that was added during the first reading of HB0271.
Changes the spending policy amount for the common school account within the permanent land fund from four percent to four and three-quarters percent.

The amendment text does not provide details about how this change will affect investment earnings or federal mineral royalties, which may be addressed elsewhere in the bill.

HB0271H3001

3rd reading • Representative Clouston

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the spending policy amount for the common school account within the permanent land fund, setting a specific rate for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years.

Removes the current fixed percentage of 'four' and replaces it with '4.75%' for fiscal year 2026.
Sets the spending policy amount to '4.5%' each fiscal year starting from after 2026.

The amendment does not provide details on how these changes will affect overall funding or operations of the common school account beyond setting new percentage rates.

HB0271H3002

3rd reading • Representative Harshman

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment changes the spending policy percentage for the common school account in the permanent land fund, starting from fiscal year 2026.

Reduces the spending policy amount by one-sixth percent each fiscal year for three years, beginning with fiscal year 2026.
Sets a fixed spending policy of four and five hundredths percent (4.5%) after the initial reduction period.

The exact impact on future spending policies is not detailed beyond 2029.

Bill History

2025-03-03 Senate
S:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4
2025-02-28 Senate
S No report prior to CoW Cutoff
2025-02-18 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations
2025-02-04 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2025-02-04 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 32-27-3-0-0
2025-02-03 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-01-31 House
H 2nd Reading:Laid Back
2025-01-30 House
H COW:Passed
2025-01-27 House
H Placed on General File
2025-01-27 House
H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 6-1-0-0-0
2025-01-23 House
H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations
2025-01-22 House
H Received for Introduction
2025-01-21 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

25LSO-0571
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0571
ENGROSSED
3.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0271

Common school account-spending policy amount.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Bear, Allemand, Angelos, Heiner, Locke, Pendergraft and Smith, S and Senator(s) Hicks, Laursen, D, McKeown and Smith, D

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the investment of state funds; decreasing the spending policy amount for the common school account within the permanent land fund; specifying the disposition of investment earnings and federal mineral royalties; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
601(d)(vi) and 9
‑
4
‑
719(g) and (h)(v) are amended to read:

9
‑
4
‑
601.

Distribution and use; funds, accounts, cities and towns benefited; exception for bonus payments.

(d)

Except as provided in subsections (k), (m), (n) and (o) of this section, any revenue received under subsection (a) of this section in excess of two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000.00) shall be distributed as follows:

(vi)

From the amounts which would otherwise be distributed to the
public
school foundation program account under paragraph (iii) of this subsection and paragraphs (k)(i), (m)(i), (n)(i) and (o)(i) of this section, there is annually appropriated to the
common school permanent fund reserve account
accounts specified in this paragraph
the amount determined under W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
719(g).

The appropriation shall be credited
to the account as provided in W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
719(g)
in accordance with the following:

(A)

Subject to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the appropriation under this paragraph shall be credited to the common school account within the permanent land fund and the common school permanent fund reserve account in equal amounts
;

(B)

When the balance of the common school permanent fund reserve account is in excess of four hundred twenty percent (420%) of the spending policy amount specified in W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
719(h)(v), the appropriation under this paragraph shall be credited to the common school account within the permanent land fund.

9
‑
4
‑
719.

Investment earnings; spending policy; permanent funds.

(g)

There is annually appropriated to the
common school permanent fund reserve account
accounts specified in W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
601(d)(vi)
an amount determined under this subsection from funds as provided in W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
601(d)(vi). The amount shall be computed and calculated by the state treasurer. The amount shall be equal to the extent to which earnings from the common school account within the permanent land fund under W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
204(u)(iv) exceed the spending policy established in subsection (h) of this section for that fiscal year. The appropriation shall be credited to the
account
appropriate accounts
as soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year but no later than ninety (90) days after the end of the fiscal year.

(h)

The annual spending policy for the common school account within the permanent land fund is for each fiscal year (FY):

(v)

An amount equal to
five percent (5%)
four and three quarters percent (4.75%) for fiscal year 2026 and four and one-half percent (4.5%) each fiscal year thereafter
of the previous five (5) year average market value of the account, calculated from the first day of the fiscal year.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

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HB0271