March 2, 2026
Week 3: Miracle at the Capitol
Wyoming’s Legislative Games
(Not at all like the Miracle on Ice, but still good)
If you’d asked a few weeks ago whether the legislature would be able to come to an agreement on the budget, many people would tell you it’s a coin flip. And even more would say “highly unlikely.”
So, I’m excited to announce that the House and the Senate have both passed the Joint Conference Committee’s budget!
I will say it doesn’t feel great that the bill was passed in both bodies before anyone in the public, or in the bodies, actually saw the bill. From our perspective though, and based on the changes described, the joint bill is FAR better than what came out of the Joint Appropriations Committee.
Here are some budget updates:
BUDGET WINS!
- $8.77M is included for Critical Access Hospitals that offer labor and delivery services to create incentives for the continued provision of the services.
- $2.5M is included to increase Medicaid payments to obstetric and maternity providers to 105% of Medicare. This means providers will be getting paid closer to the amount it actually costs to provide their services.
- $3.7M is included to support the Department of Family Service’s IT system. The system supports payment and management system for 8 of DFS’ programs, including SNAP and childcare provider payments.
BUDGET Losses (but the work will continue as the year goes on to make sure we get them funded in the future!)
- The budget does not include Sun Bucks which would have provided $40/month for food cards which can be used to help cover the cost of food over the summer months.
What else? We’ll be doing a full legislative recap on Zoom on March 13th and would love for you to join us! Register here.
We’ll also continue to work to keep you updated as the session concludes this week! You can follow our updates on social media (links below).
THANK YOU for continuing to advocate for women and girls in Wyoming. You make a difference!
