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HB0292 • 2025

Budget reserves-recommended appropriation amount.

AN ACT relating to the administration of the government; amending the required recommendation amount of estimated general fund receipts to be appropriated as specified; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Budget
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Representative Bear
Last action
2025-02-10
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass, so its provisions are not currently law.

Budget Reserve Account Changes

This act changes the required recommendation amount from five percent to ten percent of estimated general fund receipts for appropriation to the budget reserve account.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law so that at least ten percent of expected money for the state's main fund must go into a special savings account called the Budget Reserve Account.
  • Updates other parts of the law to match these changes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The governor, who must recommend this change when preparing the state budget.
  • State agencies that manage finances, such as the State Treasurer's office.

Terms To Know

Budget Reserve Account
A special savings account where extra money from the state’s main fund is kept to be used in case of emergencies or future needs.
General Fund
The main pot of money that the government uses for regular expenses and services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill did not pass, so it does not change any laws currently.
  • It is unclear how much extra money will be set aside with this new requirement.
  • The exact impact on state finances depends on future budget decisions.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-10 House

    H COW:H Did not consider for COW

  2. 2025-02-05 House

    H Placed on General File

  3. 2025-02-05 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 6-1-0-0-0

  4. 2025-01-30 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations

  5. 2025-01-28 House

    H Received for Introduction

  6. 2025-01-27 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
25LSO-0707
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0707
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0292

Budget reserves-recommended appropriation amount.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Bear, Heiner and Smith, S and Senator(s) Hicks, Laursen, D and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the administration of the government; amending the required recommendation amount of estimated general fund receipts to be appropriated as specified; 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
‑
2
‑
1012(e) and 9
‑
2
‑
1013(d)(ii) are amended to read:

9
‑
2
‑
1012.

Duties of the department; transmittal of standard budget and manual; return of completed exception and expanded budgets; submission to governor; disposition of excess general fund appropriations; submission of selected budget information to joint appropriations committee.

(e)

In preparing the overall state budget for distribution to the legislature, including any supplemental, budget shortfall or other emergency changes to the budget, the governor shall recommend to the legislature that not less than
five percent (5%)
ten percent (10%)
of estimated general fund receipts for the next biennial budget period shall be appropriated from the general fund to the budget reserve account within the earmarked fund. This appropriation shall be in addition to any fund balance within the budget reserve account.

At the end of each biennial budget period, general fund appropriations for the biennium in excess of expenditures including encumbrances during the biennium, as identified by the state auditor in accordance with the provisions of W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
1008 and 9
‑
4
‑
207, shall be transferred into the budget reserve account. All funds in the budget reserve account shall be invested by the state treasurer and earnings therefrom shall be credited into the general fund. Appropriations to the account shall not lapse at the end of any fiscal period. Expenditures from the budget reserve account shall be by legislative appropriation only.

9
‑
2
‑
1013.

State budget; distribution of copies to legislators; copies and reports of authorizations; interfund loans.

(d)

In addition to the items contained in subsection (a) of this section and notwithstanding any other recommendations made by the governor, the state budget shall also include the governor's recommendations for appropriations for the ensuing two (2) years, or if a supplemental budget request, the remainder of the budget period, subject to the following:

(ii)

The total recommended appropriations under this subsection for any two (2) fiscal year budget period shall not exceed the total estimated revenues for that two (2) year period.

The total estimated revenues computed under this paragraph shall not include increases in existing revenue sources which would be available to the state only after enactment of legislation in addition to existing law, but shall include the unencumbered balances in all other accounts in all other expendable funds subject to this section, and as further provided herein, as those funds are identified in accordance with standards promulgated by the governmental accounting standards board, but specifically excluding pension funds, nonexpendable trust funds, debt service funds and intragovernmental funds, that would be available for that budget period.

Funds within the permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund reserve account created under W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
719(b), the common school permanent fund reserve account created under W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
719(f)
,
funds within the legislative stabilization reserve account in excess of the limitation under subparagraph (iii)(C) of this section
,
or funds within
five percent (5%)
ten percent (10%)
of estimated general fund receipts for the next biennium to be appropriated to the budget reserve account as required by W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
1012(e) shall not be included in total estimated revenues computed under this paragraph.

Funds from a contingent appropriation shall not be included as an estimated source of revenue or funds available unless those funds previously had been authorized to be expended within the fiscal period covering the budget period of the recommendation;

Section 2
.

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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HB0292