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26LSO-0349
2026
STATE OF WYOMING
26LSO-0349
ENGROSSED
3.0
SENATE FILE NO. SF0124
Economic development-rodeo museum.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Driskill, Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Brennan, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Gierau, Hicks, Jones, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, D, Love, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Rothfuss, Schuler and Scott and Representative(s) Banks, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, K, Clouston, Davis, Filer, Geringer, Haroldson, Harshman, Jarvis, Larsen, L, Larson, JT, Locke, Nicholas, Sherwood, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Williams, Winter and Wylie
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to tourism; providing an appropriation; specifying distribution and requirements for the appropriation; requiring reporting; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
(a)
There is appropriated fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000.00) from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account created in W.S. 39-15-111(p)(i)(B) to the Wyoming office of tourism to contract with a rodeo and cowboy museum and hall of fame project to promote tourism and preserve Wyoming's cowboy heritage and western history. This appropriation shall be distributed to the office of tourism in accordance with subsection (b) of this section. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2036. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose. Notwithstanding W.S. 9
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2
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1008 and 9-4-207, any unexpended, unobligated funds from this appropriation shall not revert until June 30, 2036.
(b)
The appropriation in subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed to the office of tourism as follows:
(i)
Three million dollars ($3,000,000.00) shall be made available on the effective date of this act and distributed not later than April 15, 2026;
(ii)
Two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) shall be distributed on July 1, 2026;
(iii)
Ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00) shall be distributed on July 1, 2027 or as soon as funds are available on and after that date.
(c)
The appropriation provided in this section shall be subject to all of the following:
(i)
For the period beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028, the appropriation in this section shall take priority and be fully executed in each fiscal year prior to any required transfers from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account to the Wyoming outdoor recreation and tourism trust fund account pursuant to 2023 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 153, Section 2;
(ii)
The Wyoming tourism board shall solicit requests for qualifications under subsection (b) of this section and reject or recommend approval of requests submitted under this paragraph for final action by the governor;
(iii)
The Wyoming tourism board shall determine and certify the project efforts have a reasonable expectation of increasing tourism to Wyoming and generating additional jobs, gross state product, state revenue, and economic diversification;
(iv)
The expenditure of funds contracted for a project under this section shall be conditioned upon expenditure of matching funds in the ratio of one dollar ($1.00) of project funds to not less than one dollar ($1.00) of matching funds from any nonstate source;
(v)
Approval and allocation of any project under this section shall include a repayment provision if the project cannot be completed by June 30, 2030;
(vi)
Prior to final approval by the governor, any proposed contract shall first be reviewed by the attorney general, who shall certify the legality of the transaction and all documents connected therewith;
(vii)
The governor shall approve the project contract only upon a determination that the project will result in a substantial benefit to the public.
(d)
Not later than November 1 of each year until November 1, 2036, the office of tourism shall report to the joint appropriations committee on the expenditures made each fiscal year from the appropriation in subsection (a) of this section.
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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SF0124