2025 Wyoming Legislature Will See Increased Freedom Caucus Clout

The 2025 Wyoming Legislature will convene a two-month General Session on January 14 in Cheyenne.

In a General Session, as the name implies, bills on any topic can be introduced by a simple majority vote. Under state law the general sessions alternate with 20 day budget sessions. In a budget session non-budget items need a 2/3 majority vote for introduction.

Freedom Caucus Gains Control Of Wyoming House

One change in the political landscape of the legislature this year is the increasing power of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which now has a majority in the Wyoming House of Representatives. That includes the all-important position of Speaker of the Wyoming House, where Rep. Chip Neiman [R-Hulett] will wield power.

Freedom Caucus members also chair most of the House committees.

That matters because those committees decide what bills make it to the floor of the House. Committee chairs can kill bills they don't like simply by not scheduling them for committee hearings.

The Wyoming Senate, meanwhile, remains largely under control of the more traditional wing of the Republican party. How that dichotomy affects the dynamics of getting legislation passed into law by both houses in 2025 remains to be seen.

It's also worth noting that the Freedom Caucus has often been at odds with Governor Mark Gordon, who has the power to veto bills passed by the Wyoming Legislature.

In 2024, the governor vetoed vetoed several pieces of legislation favored by Freedom Caucus members, including legislation that would have eliminated most gun-free zones in the state, attempts to limit property taxes and abortion legislation, among other items.

Overriding a gubernatorial veto takes a 2/3 majority of both houses of the legislature. But since Wyoming only allots 20 days for a Budget Session and 40 days for a General Session, it's not unusual for the governor to issue a veto without lawmakers having enough time to hold a vote on overriding a veto. If that happens, the veto can only be overridden in a special session.

An attempt to call the legislature back into session to override five of the the vetoes in 2024 fell short. It's worth noting that then-House Speaker Albert Sommers [R-Pinedale] and House Speaker Pro Tem Clark Stith [ R-Rock Springs] opposed the call for a special session.

Neither will be in the House in 2025.

Sommers gave up his seat in a losing effort to win a seat in the Wyoming Senate. Stith was defeated in the GOP Primary in August by Freedom Caucus supporter Barry McCann.

After the negative vote on the special session, the Freedom Caucus issued the following statement:

''If your lawmaker voted NAY on the special session, they voted:

AGAINST tax relief

AGAINST protecting life

AGAINST the Second Amendment

FOR an all powerful Governor who thumbs his nose at the people of Wyoming.''

Interestingly the Wyoming Senate narrowly voted for a special session by a 16-15 margin. The House voted against it by a 35-27 margin. But with the changes in the makeup of the House, it seems likely to be more favorable to such a special session in the future if s similar situation were to arise.

Among other issues emphasized by the Freedom Caucus, further attempts to reign in property taxes and another effort at eliminating most gun-free zones seem likely to be proposed in the upcoming session.