The Wyoming legislative session runs on a two-year rhythm set by the state constitution: a general session of up to 40 legislative working days in odd-numbered years, and a budget session of roughly 20 days in even-numbered years, with total session time capped at 60 working days per two-year term. General sessions convene on the second Tuesday of January; budget sessions start on the second Monday of February. Everything else about how the legislature works, from how bills get filed to how the governor signs or vetoes them, is shaped by that compressed calendar.
The Three Kinds of Sessions
General Session
General sessions happen in odd-numbered years and can last up to 40 legislative working days, excluding Sundays. Legislators can introduce bills on any subject, from criminal law to water rights to education funding. The longer timeframe and open scope give lawmakers room for complex policy work.
Budget Session
Budget sessions fall in even-numbered years and center on the state’s spending plan. They usually run about 20 days, but the exact ceiling depends on how many days the preceding general session used. Because the constitution caps the biennium at 60 working days, a general session that runs only 38 days leaves 22 for the following budget session.
The scope is deliberately narrow. No bills other than the budget bill can be introduced unless two-thirds of the members in either chamber vote to place additional legislation on the agenda. That threshold keeps the short session focused on fiscal matters.1Wyoming Legislature. Legislation Archives
Special Session
Special sessions can be called in two ways. The governor can call one at any time, with no limit on length or subject matter. The legislature can also convene itself if a majority of elected members in each chamber agrees, a power Wyoming voters added by constitutional amendment in 2002. A legislature-called special session is capped at 20 days; a governor-called one is not.1Wyoming Legislature. Legislation Archives
How Legislative Working Days Are Counted
The constitutional day limits refer to legislative working days, not calendar days. A legislative working day is any day of the week when either the Senate or the House convenes, excluding Sundays. Weekends when neither chamber meets and formal recess days do not count against the total.2Wyoming Legislative Service Office. Constitutional and Statutory Parameters – Legislative Sessions
Inside each session, two deadlines drive the pace. The crossover date is the point by which a bill must pass its chamber of origin to stay alive; miss it and the bill dies. The mandatory adjournment date is the final cutoff for all legislative business that session.
How a Bill Becomes Law
Wyoming has a 60-member House of Representatives and a 30-member Senate. A bill starts when a legislator files it in either chamber. The presiding officer assigns it to a standing committee, which reviews the text, hears testimony, and decides whether to move it forward, amend it, hold it, or table it. A bill that dies in committee rarely gets a second chance that session.
Bills that clear committee go to the full chamber for three readings on three separate legislative days. The first substantive debate happens in the Committee of the Whole, where members propose amendments and discuss the bill. Second and third readings bring further debate and the final floor vote.3Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Manual of Legislative Procedures
Passage on third reading sends the bill to the other chamber, which runs the same committee-and-readings process. If the second chamber passes the bill unchanged, it goes to the governor. If the second chamber amends it, the bill returns to the originating chamber for agreement. When the two sides disagree, a conference committee of three members from each chamber is appointed to work out a compromise, and both chambers must approve that version before the bill can advance.4Wyoming Legislative Service Office. Wyoming State Legislative Process
What the Governor Can Do
Once both chambers pass a bill, the presiding officers sign it and send it to the governor, who has three choices: sign it into law, let it become law without a signature, or veto it. On appropriations bills, the governor also has a line-item veto and can strike individual spending items while the rest of the bill takes effect.
A vetoed bill returns to the chamber where it originated. Overriding a veto takes a two-thirds vote of elected members in each chamber, which works out to 40 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate. Overrides are uncommon, partly because the short session calendar leaves little time for the political effort involved.
What Happens Between Sessions
The months between sessions are working months for joint interim committees, which study issues too complex for a 20- or 40-day session. These committees hold public hearings, consult with state agencies, and draft committee bills for the next session. Committee bills carry significant public input and taxpayer-funded research behind them, and have historically been prioritized for passage.
How to Follow a Session or Weigh In
The legislature’s official website carries live video of floor debates and committee meetings, and archived recordings stay available afterward.5Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Legislature The state capitol in Cheyenne has public galleries where anyone can watch proceedings in person.
Direct participation carries real weight in a legislature this small. Testifying before a committee puts your position in front of the exact lawmakers who will decide a bill’s fate. Email and phone contact with your senator or representative is also effective, especially during session when bills are actively moving. With only 90 legislators in the state, individual constituent voices tend to register more than they would in a larger body.
If You Are Paid to Influence Legislation
Anyone who attempts to influence legislation on behalf of an organization, corporation, union, or special interest group must register as a lobbyist with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. Registration is required before lobbying begins or within 48 hours of starting, and the registration period runs from May 1 through April 30 of the following year.6Wyoming Secretary of State. Lobbying
Lobbyists who spend $500 or more on reportable expenses must file an activity report by June 30 each year. Reportable expenses include gifts, meals, entertainment, or hospitality worth more than $50 provided to any legislator or state official acting in an official capacity, along with special events like receptions or athletic outings to which legislators are invited. If total reportable expenses stay below $500, no report is required.6Wyoming Secretary of State. Lobbying