Bill
SF 45
The bill would let the Governor organize and fund a Wyoming State Guard without federal prerequisites, with a new State Council of Defense and a one-time $25,000 startup appropriat
Status snapshot
- Bill number: SF 45 (introduced Jan 15, 2025).
- Sponsor group: Reichman, Webster, Dawson, Koelker, Lofgren, Klimesh, Laursen and others (see full sponsor list). Companion: HF 1106.
- Statutory changes proposed: amendments to W.S. 19-10-101, 19-10-102 and 19-10-103.
- Effective date if enacted: July 1, 2025.
- Latest recorded legislative status in provided documents: S:Died in Committee — Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4 (committee actions are mixed in the file; see timeline below).
Purpose and intent
- Remove federal prerequisites and involvement in creating a Wyoming State Guard and instead explicitly authorize the Governor to organize and maintain a State Guard at the Governor’s discretion. The bill modernizes state law to make state control and funding authority clear.
Key provisions
- Removes the requirement that the Wyoming National Guard be federalized (ordered into U.S. service) as a precondition to organizing a state guard.
- Deletes or reduces references to federal (Secretary of Defense) control as a necessary condition for organization and governance of the State Guard; instead the Governor may organize and maintain the guard. (Amends W.S. 19-10-101.)
- Specifies compensation rules: members serving under orders of the Governor would receive pay and allowances not to exceed 75% of those authorized for personnel of equal rank in the Wyoming National Guard. (Amends W.S. 19-10-102.)
- Preserves authority for the Governor to requisition or purchase arms, equipment and supplies (including from the Department of Defense) and to make state armory facilities available to the guard as necessary. (Amends 19-10-103.)
- Creates and funds a Wyoming State Council of Defense to advise/assist in establishing/equipping the guard; appointment/operation of the council is authorized.
- One-time appropriation of $25,000 from the General Fund to the Governor’s Office to appoint/convene the council and to begin establishment/equipment of the guard. The appropriation is one fiscal year only (effective through June 30, 2026), non-transferable, and not to be rolled into the Governor’s standard budget.
Fiscal impact (from bill’s fiscal note)
- One-time General Fund appropriation: $25,000 to Governor’s Office (FY2026). Expenditure breakdown in fiscal note: $18,750 supportive services; $6,250 contractual services (possible vendor contract). Funds assumed to cover travel, laptops and limited startup contracting.
- Ongoing costs: Indeterminable and dependent on the size, scope and equipment needs of any State Guard created. Example baseline estimate in fiscal note: forming a platoon (~52 personnel) could cost at least $250,000 per year for pay and benefits (minimal training and only personal uniform/equipment) — excludes broader startup and capital costs.
- Administrative impact: Military Department and Governor’s Office likely have increased duties; staffing and additional appropriation needs are indeterminable.
Who would be affected
- Governor’s Office (responsibility to organize/oversee and to convene the Council of Defense).
- Wyoming Military Department (administrative/operational impact anticipated).
- Individuals commissioned into the State Guard (compensation and service rules set by state law).
- State budget/General Fund (initial $25,000 appropriation and potential future appropriations if a guard is established and funded).
Procedural/timeline highlights and status
- Introduced Jan 15, 2025; referred to committees (Transportation, then Ways and Means/Taxes in some records). Subcommittee activity occurred Jan–Mar 2025. Transportation committee vote initially failed (1/28/2025, Do Pass Failed 2–3).
- Record indicates “S: Died in Committee — Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4” (3/3/2025). Documents also show later entries (committee report renumbered SF 655 on 5/9/2025) — the primary status provided identifies the bill as having died in committee.
- If enacted, the act would take effect July 1, 2025; the appropriation would be spendable through June 30, 2026 and would revert if unspent.
Notes and considerations
- The bill shifts primary authority over creation/maintenance of a Wyoming State Guard from a federal-priority trigger to state executive discretion, making the force a state-organized entity under the Governor.
- Exact long‑term fiscal exposure is unknown and scales with force size, training expectations, equipment needs and whether legislative appropriations are made for ongoing pay/benefits.
- The bill text and fiscal documents identify W.S. 9‑2‑1014.3 (Governor’s continuous appropriation for public welfare emergencies) as a possible alternate funding source for pay/allowances in lieu of legislative appropriation.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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