Read the full stored bill text
26LSO-0367
2026
STATE OF WYOMING
26LSO-0367
ENGROSSED
3.0
SENATE FILE NO. SF0109
Cowboy state agricultural trust fund.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Boner, Driskill and Love and Representative(s) Banks, Davis, Fornstrom, Strock and Winter
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to the administration of the government; creating the cowboy state agricultural trust fund; specifying requirements and authorized expenditures for the fund; creating the cowboy state agricultural trust fund committee; specifying duties and oversight responsibilities of the committee; requiring reporting; requiring the transfer of funds; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
W.S. 11
‑
53
‑
101 and 11
‑
53
‑
102 are created to read:
CHAPTER 53
COWBOY STATE AGRICULTURAL TRUST
11
‑
53
‑
101.
Cowboy state agricultural trust fund; requirements; investments; expenditures.
(a)
As used in this chapter:
(i)
"Committee" means the cowboy state agricultural trust fund committee created in W.S. 11
‑
53
‑
102(a);
(ii)
"Fund" means the cowboy state agricultural trust fund created in subsection (b) of this section.
(b)
There is created the cowboy state agricultural trust fund. The state treasurer shall invest the fund in accordance with law.
Except for investment earnings from the fund and other funds granted or appropriated to the fund for specific purposes and expenditures, all funds deposited into or within the fund are intended to be inviolate and constitute a permanent or perpetual trust fund. In adopting investment policy statements for the fund, the state loan and investment board, in consultation with the investment funds committee, shall seek to preserve the balance of the fund in a manner that strives for the highest possible risk
‑
adjusted total net return consistent with an appropriate level of safety and liquidity.
(c)
Earnings from the investment of the fund shall be deposited in the cowboy state agricultural trust income account, which is hereby created. The income account shall consist of those funds credited to the income account under this subsection and all other monies collected from federal grants and other contributions, grants, gifts, bequests and donations specifically designated to the income account. Funds within the income account are continuously appropriated to the committee for the purposes specified in this article.
(d)
The committee may accept contributions, grants, gifts, transfers, bequests and donations to the income account created in subsection (c) of this section, unless the donor expressly directs the monies to the trust fund. Funds received by the committee under this subsection shall be used by the committee for the purposes specified in this article unless the grantor has limited the purposes or terms of expenditure of the funds received under this subsection.
(e)
Funds within the income account shall only be expended by the committee to provide grants for the following purposes:
(i)
Programs and initiatives related to production agriculture at the University of Wyoming college of agriculture, life sciences and natural resources;
(ii)
Agriculture workforce development programs and initiatives at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges. For purposes of this paragraph, workforce development programs shall provide support for production agriculture, value
‑
added agriculture or natural resource personnel who are or will be employed by federal and state agencies and shall incorporate practical experience, work experience and internships;
(iii)
Agriculture education or classroom programs that provide curricula or other educational resources for agriculture education in Wyoming schools;
(iv)
Support or development for agriculture
‑
focused classes in Wyoming high schools that offer concurrent credit with a Wyoming community college;
(v)
Value
‑
added agricultural projects;
(vi)
The enhancement of business
‑
related education for agriculture, including marketing, addressing regulatory burdens to new markets and business strategies for growing agricultural business;
(vii)
The incorporation of new technologies and practices into operational practice in production agriculture;
(viii)
Other efforts, programs and initiatives to expand the productivity, profitability or sustainability of Wyoming agriculture.
(f)
Subject to subsection (g) of this section, grants made by the committee under this section:
(i)
May be made to Wyoming government entities, educational institutions and other qualified public entities incorporated in Wyoming;
(ii)
Shall be matched in the ratio of one dollar ($1.00) of cowboy state agricultural trust funds from the income account to not less than one dollar ($1.00) of matching nonstate funds;
(iii)
Shall require the recipient to report to the committee not less than annually on the expenditure of grant funds received under this section.
(g)
No funds shall be expended under this section for grants exceeding two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00) except upon specific legislative authorization.
11
‑
53
‑
102.
Cowboy state agricultural trust fund committee.
(a)
There is created the cowboy state agricultural trust fund committee consisting of the following persons:
(i)
The director;
(ii)
The dean of the University of Wyoming college of agriculture, life sciences and natural resources or the dean's designee;
(iii)
The chief executive officer of the Wyoming business council or the officer's designee;
(iv)
A representative of the Wyoming community college commission;
(v)
A representative of Wyoming high schools who teaches vocational or career and technical education;
(vi)
A designee of a Wyoming nonprofit entity that supports agriculture in the classroom or similar agricultural education initiatives;
(vii)
Three (3) persons actively involved in production agriculture in Wyoming.
(b)
The governor shall appoint to the committee the persons specified in paragraphs (a)(iv) through (vii) of this section with the advice and consent of the senate in accordance with W.S. 28
‑
12
‑
101 through 28
‑
12
‑
103. The persons appointed to the committee as specified in paragraphs (a)(iv) through (vii) of this section shall be appointed for three (3) year terms, except as otherwise provided in this subsection. For the initial appointments made under this subsection, two (2) members shall be appointed for a one (1) year term, two (2) members shall be appointed for a term of two (2) years and two (2) members shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years. The persons appointed to the committee as specified in paragraphs (a)(i) through (iii) of this section shall serve during the term of their appointment or employment. The governor may remove any committee member as provided in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
202.
(c)
The department shall provide staffing and administrative support for the committee.
(d)
The committee shall:
(i)
Develop and provide an application process for the awarding of grants from the income account created in W.S. 11
‑
53
‑
101(c);
(ii)
Oversee the expenditure of grant funds awarded under this article to ensure compliance with this article and any other requirements under law;
(iii)
Report to the joint agriculture, state and public lands and water resources interim committee on the cowboy state agricultural trust fund and grants awarded under this article not later than October 1, 2027 and each October 1 thereafter.
Section 2.
(a)
On the effective date of this act, the state auditor shall transfer ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00) from the general fund to the cowboy state agricultural trust fund, as created by section 1 of this act.
(b)
There is appropriated forty
‑
two thousand nine hundred forty
‑
four dollars ($42,944.00) from the general fund to the department of agriculture for purposes of paying for the cowboy state agricultural trust fund committee's travel and other administrative expenses associated with committee activities.
This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2028.
This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2028.
Section 3.
The Wyoming department of agriculture shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.
Section 4
.
(a)
Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2026
.
(b)
Sections 3 and 4 of this act are 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)
1
SF0109