WY
Wyoming House Bill HB0230

Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming House Bill HB0230 Compare Versions

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11 2025
22 STATE OF WYOMING
33 25LSO-01921HB0230
44 HOUSE BILL NO. HB0230
55 Wyoming interstate study and safe highways investment act.
66 Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Brown, L,
77 Clouston, Geringer, Larson, JT, Nicholas and
88 Wylie and Senator(s) Barlow and Pappas
99 A BILL
1010 for
1111 1 AN ACT relating to highways; creating the interstate
1212 2 highways traffic study task force; specifying members and
1313 3 duties of the task force; providing a termination date for
1414 4 the task force; requiring a report; providing for the
1515 5 planning, design and construction of highways as specified;
1616 6 authorizing investment of state funds in transportation
1717 7 construction loans; providing a funding guarantee by
1818 8 modifying the distribution of revenues; providing
1919 9 appropriations; providing for the transfer of funds; and
2020 10 providing for an effective date.
2121 11
2222 12
2323 13
2424 14. W.S. 9-1-420 is created to read:
2525 15 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01922HB02301
2626 2
2727 3
2828 4 (a) With the approval of the state loan and
2929 5 investment board, the state treasurer shall be authorized
3030 6 to invest not more than two hundred fifty million dollars
3131 7 ($250,000,000.00) from the permanent Wyoming mineral trust
3232 8 fund to provide loans to the department of transportation
3333 9 for purposes of funding the construction of one (1) or more
3434 10 highways approved by the transportation commission. The
3535 11 authority to invest funds under this subsection shall
3636 12 remain in effect until June 30, 2029.
3737 13
3838 14 (b) The interest rates on the loans authorized under
3939 15 subsection (a) of this section shall be at a fixed interest
4040 16 rate determined by the state treasurer to be reasonably
4141 17 commensurate with the rates of return of the asset class
4242 18 for which the monies would be otherwise invested. The
4343 19 amounts invested in loans under subsection (a) of this
4444 20 section shall be repaid as provided by subsection (e) of
4545 21 this section.
4646 22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01923HB02301 (c) Amounts invested in loans under subsection (a) of
4747 2 this section shall be public purpose investments under W.S.
4848 3 9-4-715(n).
4949 4
5050 5 (d) In addition to the amounts invested in loans
5151 6 specified in subsection (a) of this section, the
5252 7 transportation commission shall direct any available
5353 8 federal highway safety funds to the construction of one (1)
5454 9 or more highways approved by the transportation commission.
5555 10
5656 11 (e) Beginning on June 30, 2026 and June 30 of each
5757 12 fiscal year thereafter until the amounts invested in loans
5858 13 under this section are repaid, the state auditor shall
5959 14 transfer fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00) or as much
6060 15 thereof as is available and required to repay the
6161 16 outstanding amounts invested in loans this section, plus
6262 17 any interest as determined by the state treasurer under
6363 18 subsection (b) of this section and certified to the state
6464 19 auditor, from the legislative stabilization reserve account
6565 20 to the permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund for purposes of
6666 21 repaying the amounts invested in loans under this section.
6767 22 The state treasurer shall cease transferring funds to the
6868 23 permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund when the amounts due 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01924HB0230
6969 1 under this section are repaid. The transfer under this
7070 2 subsection may be in an amount less than fifty million
7171 3 dollars ($50,000,000.00).
7272 4
7373 5W.S. 9-4-719(b)(intro) and (i) is amended
7474 6 to read:
7575 7
7676 8
7777 9
7878 10
7979 11 (b) There is created the permanent Wyoming mineral
8080 12 trust fund reserve account. All funds within the account
8181 13 shall be invested by the state treasurer as authorized
8282 14 under W.S. 9-4-715(a), (d), (e) and (r) and all investment
8383 15 earnings from the account shall be credited to the account.
8484 16 Except for funds specified by the legislature that
8585 17 guarantee the obligations of permanent Wyoming mineral
8686 18 trust fund investment earnings and funds to be transferred
8787 19 into the permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund, funds
8888 20 deposited into the reserve account created by this
8989 21 subsection are intended to be inviolate and constitute a
9090 22 permanent or perpetual trust fund. Beginning July 1, 2021
9191 23 for fiscal year 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter, to 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01925HB0230
9292 1 the extent funds are available, the state treasurer shall
9393 2 transfer unobligated funds from this account to the general
9494 3 fund on a quarterly, pro-rata basis as necessary to ensure
9595 4 that an amount equal to two and one-half percent (2.5%) of
9696 5 the previous five (5) year average market value of the
9797 6 permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund, calculated on the
9898 7 first day of the fiscal year, is available for expenditure
9999 8 during each fiscal year. As soon as possible after the end
100100 9 of each of the fiscal years beginning on and after July 1,
101101 10 2017, after making any transfer required pursuant to
102102 11 paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this subsection, revenues in
103103 12 this account in excess of two hundred forty-five percent
104104 13 (245%) of the spending policy amount in subsection (d) of
105105 14 this section shall be credited to the permanent Wyoming
106106 15 mineral trust fund. For fiscal year and for each
107107 16 fiscal year thereafter:
108108 17
109109 18 (i) As soon as practicable after the end of the
110110 19 fiscal year, after making any other transfers provided by
111111 20 law from the permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund reserve
112112 21 account, but prior to calculating the balance of the
113113 22 account under this subsection, the state treasurer shall
114114 23 transfer from the account: 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01926HB02301
115115 2n amount equal to the difference
116116 3 between the maximum amount which may be credited to the
117117 4 strategic investments and projects account pursuant to
118118 5 subsection (q) of this section and the amount actually
119119 6 credited to that account in the applicable fiscal year;
120120 7
121121 8
122122 9
123123 10
124124 11
125125 12
126126 13
127127 14
128128 15
129129 16 (a) Upon approval by the transportation commission,
130130 17 the planning, design and construction of the following
131131 18 projects shall be authorized for the funds made available
132132 19 under W.S. 9-1-420:
133133 20
134134 21 (i) The creation of passing lanes, where
135135 22 appropriate, on the portion of United States highway 20
136136 23 between Casper, Wyoming and Waltman, Wyoming; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01927HB0230
137137 1
138138 2 (ii) The creation of passing lanes, where
139139 3 appropriate, on the portion of United States highway 20
140140 4 between Waltman, Wyoming and Shoshoni, Wyoming;
141141 5
142142 6 (iii) The creation of passing lanes, where
143143 7 appropriate, on the portion of the United States highway 20
144144 8 between Shoshoni, Wyoming and Thermopolis, Wyoming;
145145 9
146146 10 (iv) The portion of United States highway 287
147147 11 between Laramie, Wyoming and the Colorado state line that
148148 12 consists of only two (2) lanes in order to make that
149149 13 portion of the highway four (4) lanes;
150150 14
151151 15 (v) The portion of Wyoming Highway 59 between
152152 16 Wright, Wyoming and Gillette, Wyoming to make that portion
153153 17 of the highway five (5) lanes;
154154 18
155155 19 (vi) An alternative paved highway from Rock
156156 20 Springs to Green River on the north side of Interstate 80.
157157 21
158158 22
159159 23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01928HB02301 (a) There is created the interstate highways traffic
160160 2 study task force to consist of the following members:
161161 3
162162 4 (i) Members of the legislature as follows:
163163 5
164164 6 (A) Three (3) members of the Wyoming house
165165 7 of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house.
166166 8 The speaker of the house shall designate one (1) of the
167167 9 members appointed under this subparagraph to be co-chairman
168168 10 of the task force;
169169 11
170170 12 (B) Three (3) members of the Wyoming
171171 13 senate, appointed by the president of the senate. The
172172 14 president of the senate shall designate one (1) of the
173173 15 members appointed under this subparagraph to be co-chairman
174174 16 of the task force.
175175 17
176176 18 (ii) Members of the Wyoming state government, as
177177 19 follows:
178178 20
179179 21 (A) The governor or his designee;
180180 22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01929HB02301 (B) The director of the department of
181181 2 transportation or the director's designee;
182182 3
183183 4 (C) The director of the department of
184184 5 tourism or the director's designee.
185185 6
186186 7 (iii) Members of the public appointed by the
187187 8 governor, as follows:
188188 9
189189 10 (A) A member representing the trucking
190190 11 industry;
191191 12
192192 13 (B) A member representing Wyoming local
193193 14 governments;
194194 15
195195 16 (C) A member representing the mining
196196 17 industry;
197197 18
198198 19 (D) A member representing the agriculture
199199 20 industry;
200200 21
201201 22 (E) A member representing the construction
202202 23 industry; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-019210HB02301
203203 2 (F) A member representing the railroad
204204 3 industry.
205205 4
206206 5 (b) The task force shall:
207207 6
208208 7 (i) Study traffic and conditions on Wyoming's
209209 8 interstate highways, focusing specifically on Interstate
210210 9 80;
211211 10
212212 11 (ii) Study and consider methods for reducing
213213 12 traffic and highway deterioration on Wyoming's interstate
214214 13 highways, focusing specifically on Interstate 80,
215215 14 including:
216216 15
217217 16 (A) A method that uses the railroad to
218218 17 transport commercial motor vehicles across areas served by
219219 18 interstate highways and requires commercial motor vehicles
220220 19 to pay a fee for the transportation;
221221 20
222222 21 (B) A method that creates additional lanes
223223 22 on interstate highways.
224224 23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-019211HB02301 (iii) Study and explore funding strategies for
225225 2 the methods considered under paragraph (ii) of this
226226 3 subsection;
227227 4
228228 5 (iv) Not later than July 1, 2026 report to the
229229 6 governor, management council and the joint transportation,
230230 7 highways and military affairs interim committee on the work
231231 8 of the task force, including any recommendations for
232232 9 legislation for consideration by an appropriate legislative
233233 10 committee.
234234 11
235235 12 (c) The task force shall be staffed by the
236236 13 legislative service office.
237237 14
238238 15 (d) The legislative members of the task force shall
239239 16 receive salary, per diem and travel expenses in the manner
240240 17 and amount prescribed by W.S. 28-5-101. Task force members
241241 18 who are state employees or government officials shall be
242242 19 considered to be acting within the scope of regular
243243 20 employment when conducting the official business of the
244244 21 task force and shall receive their regular pay without
245245 22 additional compensation, except that those members shall
246246 23 receive mileage and per diem as provided for other members 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-019212HB0230
247247 1 of the task force under this subsection if they are not
248248 2 reimbursed by their employer. Task force members who are
249249 3 not state employees shall receive per diem and mileage in
250250 4 the amount provided for members of the legislature under
251251 5 W.S. 28-5-101.
252252 6
253253 7 (e) The task force shall terminate December 31, 2026.
254254 8
255255 9
256256 10
257257 11 (a) There is appropriated twenty-five thousand
258258 12 dollars ($25,000.00) from the general fund to the
259259 13 legislative service office for purposes of providing
260260 14 salary, mileage and per diem to the legislative members of
261261 15 the task force appointed under section 1(a)(i) of this act
262262 16 and for other expenses of the task force. This
263263 17 appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the
264264 18 effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2027. This
265265 19 appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any
266266 20 other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds
267267 21 remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided
268268 22 by law on June 30, 2027.
269269 23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-019213HB02301 (b) There is appropriated twenty-five thousand
270270 2 dollars ($25,000.00) from the general fund to the office of
271271 3 the governor for purposes of providing mileage and per diem
272272 4 to the members of the task force appointed under section
273273 5 1(a)(iii) of this act and for providing mileage and per
274274 6 diem for members of the task force appointed under section
275275 7 1(a)(ii) of this act, subject to section 1(d) of this act.
276276 8 This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with
277277 9 the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2027.
278278 10 This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for
279279 11 any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds
280280 12 remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided
281281 13 by law on June 30, 2027.
282282 14
283283 15This act is effective immediately upon
284284 16 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
285285 17 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
286286 18 Constitution.
287287 19
288288 20 (END)