Public policy in Wyoming

• Fiscal policy
  • Budgets
    • Budget and finances by state
    • Tax policy by state
    • State Budget Terms
    • State government tax collections by source
    • Total state expenditures
    • State spending by function as a percent of total expenditures
    • State debt
  • Finanzbranche
    • Financial regulation in the United States
    • Dodd-Frank Act
    • Federal Reserve
  • Pensions
    • Pension policy by state
    • Public pension health by state
    • Pension reform in San Jose and San Diego
    • Pension Terms and Definitions
    • Public pensions
• Civil liberties
  • Affirmative action
  • Campaign finance
  • Nonprofit regulation
• Bildung
  • Public education by state
  • School choice by state
  • Charter schools by state
  • Higher education by state
  • Education policy in the United States
  • Public education in the United States
  • Education statistics
    • Education statistics in the United States
    • Education spending per pupil
    • Number of schools by school type in the U.S.
    • Demographic information for all students in the United States
    • Public school system expenditures in the United States
    • Public school system revenues in the United States
    • Public school teacher salaries in the United States
    • Graduation rates by groups in state
    • Public high school dropout rates by state
    • ACT and SAT scores in the United States
    • NAEP scores by state
  • Major terms
    • Blended learning
    • Charter schools
    • Common Core
    • Dropout rate
    • Progressive education
    • Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate
    • School vouchers
    • Teacher merit pay
  • United States education agencies
• Elections
  • Voting policy
    • Voter identification laws by state
    • Online voter registration
    • Early voting
  • Ballot access
    • Ballot access for presidential candidates
    • Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
    • List of political parties in the United States
    • Political party designation
  • Redistricting
    • State-by-state redistricting procedures
    • Majority-minority districts
• Energy and Environment
  • Energy Policy by state
  • Fracking
    • Fracking information by state
    • Fracking
    • Fracking in the United States
  • Energy policy in the United States
  • Energy use in the United States
  • Oil and gas on federal lands by state
  • Energy terms and definitions
  • Agencies and legislation
  • Environmental Policy by state
  • Endangered Species Policy
    • Endangered species policy by state
  • Environmental policy in the United States
  • Environmental statistics
  • Endangered species statistics
  • Glossary of environmental terms
  • Glossary of endangered species terms
• Gesundheitswesen
  • Healthcare policy by state
  • Medicaid spending by state
  • Effect of the Affordable Care Act by state
  • Healthcare policy in the United States
  • Affordable Care Act
• Immigration
  • Immigration in the United States
  • Immigration by state
• Index

The Public Policy Project on Ballotpedia aims to illuminate major policy issues being discussed and implemented throughout the United States. Public policy can be complicated and controversial; deciding what works best and how to allocate resources to achieve a policy goal can involve multiple trade-offs. Much of the public policy that affects citizens economically, legally and socially, is made at the state level. Below you will find links and introductions to all the Wyoming public policy articles on Ballotpedia. To see the policy overview of another state click on the map below.

For a list of all public policy articles on Ballotpedia see here.

Budget Policy

Budget and finances

In Wyoming, as in other states, lawmakers and public officials are elected in part to manage the state's finances. This includes generating revenues (money coming into the state from various sources) and approving expenditures (the money spent on governmental functions and servicing state debt). State budgets are complex and fluid, as they depend on anticipated revenues and planned expenditures, which may alter over the course of a fiscal year. If revenues do not keep pace with expenditures, states generally have to raise taxes, cut services, borrow money, or a combination of the three. State budget decisions are also influenced by policy decisions at the national level, such as the Affordable Care Act or energy and environmental regulations, and issues at the local level, such as crime and the quality of education.

HIGHLIGHTS

Between fiscal years 2015 and 2016, total government spending in Wyoming decreased by approximately $0.9 billion—from $8.8 billion in fiscal year 2015 to an estimated $7.9 billion in 2016. This represents a 10.7-percent decrease.

In Wyoming in fiscal year 2015, 42.9 percent of total tax revenues came from sales taxes and gross receipts. Wyoming does not collect an income tax.

Education accounted for 13.2 percent of state expenditures in fiscal year 2015, while 7.1 percent went to Medicaid.

Taxes

Wyoming generates the bulk of its tax revenue by levying a general sales tax as well as other miscellaneous taxes. The state derives its constitutional authority to tax from Article 15 of the state constitution.

Tax policy can vary from state to state. States levy taxes to help fund the variety of services provided by state governments. Tax collections comprise approximately 40 percent of the states' total revenues. The rest comes from non-tax sources, such as intergovernmental aid (e.g., federal funds), lottery revenues and fees. The primary types of taxes levied by state governments include personal income tax, general sales tax, excise (or special sales) taxes and corporate income tax.

HIGHLIGHTS

According to the United States Census Bureau, Wyoming collected $1.91 billion in tax revenue in 2016. The state's tax revenue per capita was $3,268.

Civil Liberties Policy

Affirmative action

Affirmative action in Wyoming refers to the steps taken by employers and universities in Wyoming to increase the proportions of historically disadvantaged minority groups at those institutions. Historically, affirmative action nationwide has taken many different forms, such as strict quotas, extra outreach efforts, and racial and gender preferences. However, racial quotas in university admissions were banned in a 1978 United States Supreme Court case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court reversed lower court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, effectively ending the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

As of March 2015, 109 out of 577 public four-year universities across the country reported that they considered race in admissions. This practice has been banned in eight states. Meanwhile, 28 states require affirmative action plans in either public employment or apprenticeships. Affirmative action programs that grant racial preferences have come under scrutiny in the courts for potentially violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of March 2015, the University of Wyoming, the state's only public four-year university, did not consider race in admissions.

At that time, Wyoming also did not have a law for affirmative action requirements in employment.

The effects of affirmative action policies are contested. Proponents argue that affirmative action diversifies selective institutions and provides more opportunities to minorities. Opponents argue that implementing policies that favor some groups requires discrimination against others and that these policiesmay harm individuals they are meant to help.

Campaign finance

Wyoming campaign finance requirements govern the following:

• how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations,
• how much and how often they must report those contributions, and
• how much individuals, organizations and political parties may contribute to campaigns.

In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations and nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections through independent expenditures or issue advocacy.

As of May 2015, individuals could contribute no more than $2,500 to statewide candidates for office (including those for Governor), and $1,500 each to candidates for the State Senate and State House of Representatives. Corporations and unions could not directly contribute to candidates for office, but these groups could make unlimited contributions to ballot measure campaigns.

Nonprofit regulation

Nonprofit regulation in Wyoming involves a complex set of rules that govern nonprofit organizations and charitable giving throughout the state. Major issues surrounding nonprofit regulation nationwide include the following:

• contribution limits,
• donor disclosure, and
• the redefinition of issue advocacy.

Wyoming is one of 11 states that do not require charitable organizations, or those intending to solicit on their behalf, to register with the state in order to solicit contributions, whether they are a Wyoming organization or based out-of-state.

According to Guidestar, an organization that reports on nonprofit companies, regulation of nonprofit activity protects donors and organizations from potential fraud and helps "to maintain trust in the [nonprofit] sector." According to the London School of Economics, nonprofit disclosure requirements can create privacy concerns among potential donors, thereby having an unintended negative impact on donor participation.

Education Policy

K-12 Public education

The Wyoming public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Wyoming had 94,488 students enrolled in a total of 348 schools in 49 school districts. There were 7,378 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 13 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Wyoming spent on average $16,698 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 82 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Wyoming compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Wyoming
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Wyoming	348	49	94,488	7,378	1:12.8	$16,698
Vereinigte Staaten	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Idaho, Montana, and Utah), Wyoming had the highest percentage of fourth grade students score at or above proficient in math.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Wyoming	48%	38%	37%	38%
Idaho	40%	36%	33%	38%
Montana	45%	40%	35%	40%
Utah	44%	36%	37%	39%
Vereinigte Staaten	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Wyoming and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Wyoming schools reported a graduation rate of 77 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, lowest among its neighboring states.

In Wyoming, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.8.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Wyoming	77%	Fourth	19.8	100%	1757	4%
Idaho	K.A.	K.A.	22.1	49%	1364	99%
Montana	84.4%	Third	21.3	72%	1595	25%
Utah	83%	Third	20.7	100%	1684	6%
Vereinigte Staaten	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Wyoming was higher than the national average at 5.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.3 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Wyoming

As of June 2015, Wyoming ranked last in the U.S. in private school attendance. Other school choice options for students in the state included charter schools, homeschooling, online learning and voluntary public school open enrollment policies.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Wyoming is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Wyoming state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Wyoming spent approximately 10.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. When compared to its neighboring states, Wyoming dedicated the smallest portion of its total budget to public education, but had the highest per pupil spending.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Wyoming	10.9%	$15,700	6.7%	52%	41.3%
Idaho	24.2%	$6,791	11.8%	63.4%	24.7%
Montana	15.5%	$10,625	12.8%	47.7%	39.5%
Utah	23.6%	$6,555	9.5%	52%	38.5%
Vereinigte Staaten	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

During fiscal year 2013, the primary source of school system funding in Wyoming was state revenue, at $881 million. Wyoming's total public education revenue was slightly higher than Montana's, which was the lowest when compared to Wyoming and its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Wyoming	$113,501	$881,114	$698,563	$1,693,178
Idaho	$238,656	$1,278,155	$498,783	$2,015,594
Montana	$210,593	$788,329	$652,713	$1,651,635
Utah	$409,774	$2,235,917	$1,656,221	$4,301,912
Vereinigte Staaten	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Wyoming totaled approximately $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2012. Total public education expenditures in Wyoming were slightly higher than those in Montana, which had the lowest expenditures compared to Wyoming and its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Wyoming	$1,432,216	$213,239	$10,455	$1,655,911
Idaho	$1,854,556	$135,343	$62,396	$2,052,295
Montana	$1,504,531	$120,771	$29,324	$1,654,625
Utah	$3,779,760	$746,262	$264,051	$4,790,073
Vereinigte Staaten	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Wyoming, the average salary increased by 24.2 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Wyoming	$46,638	$59,628	$58,174	$57,920	24.2%
Idaho	$48,578	$49,404	$49,359	$49,734	2.4%
Montana	$43,896	$48,845	$49,354	$49,999	13.9%
Utah	$47,757	$48,980	$48,961	$49,393	3.4%
Vereinigte Staaten	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Wyoming Department of Education

The Wyoming Department of Education oversees the state's K-12 public school system. The department is led by the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction. Jillian Balow was sworn into the position in January 2015.

The mission statement of the Wyoming Department of Education reads:

"

The Wyoming Department of Education will serve as a supportive partner to districts, schools, and communities to maximize student achievement, facilitate teacher and leader effectiveness, and ensure that every Wyoming student has safe access to an excellent education that prepares them for life after secondary school. Through the use of this collaborative model, Wyoming will take its place as a nationwide leader in public education.

”

The Wyoming State Board of Education sets education policy for the state's public school system and advocates on behalf of students, teachers and citizens. The board has 12 members, including the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Wyoming ranked 29th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was the middle tier of five.

The main union related to the Wyoming school system is the Wyoming Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

Government sector lobbying

See also: Wyoming government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Wyoming School Boards Association.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Wyoming received a score of 79.9, or a B- average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "school finance" at 90.3, or an A- average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 66.7, or a D+ average. Wyoming received the highest score in the "school finance" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Wyoming and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Wyoming	79.9 (B-)	70.0 (C-)	79.3 (C+)	66.7 (D+)	90.3 (A-)	78.6 (C+)
Idaho	74.2 (C)	69.8 (C-)	86.6 (B+)	60.5 (D-)	60.0 (D-)	71.4 (C-)
Montana	76.3 (C)	69.7 (C-)	76.3 (C)	69.4 (D+)	73.0 (C)	60.7 (D-)
Utah	79.1 (C+)	69.1 (D+)	81.7 (B-)	64.5 (D)	65.2 (D)	89.3 (B+)
U.S. averages	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Wyoming contains multiple types of school districts. The most prevalent are Unified districts (K-12), which contain both elementary and high schools, Elementary districts (K-6 or K-8), which contain only elementary schools and High School districts (9-12), which contain only high schools.

School board composition

Wyoming school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. Wyoming school board elections typically select board members on an at-large basis, allowing all residents living in the school district to vote for any board candidates on the ballot.

School boards can consists of five, seven or nine members. Board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

Wyoming does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: Wyoming school board elections, 2024

No Wyoming school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Wyoming, a person must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• 18 years of age or older
• A resident of Wyoming at the time of the election

Candidates file applications with the county clerk at least 70 days and no more than 90 days prior to the election.

Campaign finance

State law requires candidates to file reports about campaign contributions at least seven days before each election. Candidates must also provide detailed reports on contributions and expenditures within 10 days after each election. All campaign finance reports from local candidates are filed with the county elections office. Individuals are limited to contributing $1,000 per candidate per election and a maximum of $25,000 across all races in a two-year period.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Wyoming state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Wyoming ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Wyoming Permanent Fund, Constitutional Amendment C (2006)
2. Wyoming School Revenue Limit, Question A (2004)
3. Wyoming Nonresidential Trustees Amendment, Constitutional Amendment A (2014)
4. Wyoming State Education Levy, Amendment 2 (1982)
5. Wyoming Equal Funding for Schools, Amendment 2 (1978)
6. Wyoming Statewide School Levy, Amendment 3 (1974)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wyoming education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public policy in Wyoming - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Wyoming
• Wyoming state budget and finances
• Wyoming Department of Education
• List of school districts in Wyoming
• School choice in Wyoming
• Charter schools in Wyoming
• Wyoming
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Wyoming Department of Education
• Wyoming State Board of Education
• Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board
• Wyoming Public School Ratings by PSK12
• Wyoming Public School Ratings by Great Schools

Footnotes

Higher education

Wyoming's higher education system is composed of 10 colleges and universities. Of these, eight are public institutions, two are nonprofit private schools, and none are for-profit private institutions.

HIGHLIGHTS

In Wyoming, between 2012 and 2014, full-time college enrollment decreased from about 26,174 to about 24,986, though enrollment was still 8.4 percent higher than in 2008, before the recession.

In the 2013-2014 academic year, the national average in-state cost for tuition and required fees at a public four-year school totaled $8,312. For a private four-year school, the average was $25,696. In Wyoming, these figures were lower: $3,756 and $16,620 respectively.

State financial support for public higher education in Wyoming totaled $373.8 million in fiscal year 2015, a 2.5 percent decrease over fiscal year 2013.

School choice

School choice is a term that refers to programs offering alternatives to assigned local public school options. Public school choice options include open enrollment policies, magnet schools, and charter schools. Other options include school vouchers, scholarship tax credits, and education savings accounts (ESAs).

HIGHLIGHTS

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated four total charter schools in Wyoming in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 500 students.

In Wyoming, there were 2,780 students enrolled in 40 private schools in fall 2013, accounting for roughly 2.81 percent of the state's total school-age population.

According to the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, as of June 2016, Wyoming provided no financial assistance (either in the form of vouchers or tax credits) to parents wishing to send their children to private schools instead of public schools.

Proponents argue that school choice programs improve educational outcomes by expanding opportunity and access for historically disadvantaged students. In addition, advocates claim that school choice programs empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition. Critics contend that these programs divert funds from traditional public schools, thereby generating unequal outcomes for students. In addition, some critics argue that school voucher programs wrongly direct tax dollars to religious organizations, which operate many private schools.

Charter schools

Charter schools in Wyoming are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.

HIGHLIGHTS

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated four total charter schools in Wyoming in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 500 students.

Overall, charter school students accounted for 0.53 percent of total public school enrollment in Wyoming in 2015.

The Wyoming State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 1995.

Election Policy

Ballot access requirements

In order to get on the ballot in Wyoming, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Wyoming. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Wyoming." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Wyoming's one United States Representative and 90 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Wyoming was apportioned one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Wyoming after the 2020 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Wyoming was apportioned one congressional seat, which was unchanged from the number it had after the 2010 census.

Wyoming's House of Representatives is made up of 60 districts; Wyoming's State Senate is made up of 30 districts.

Wyoming is home to one at-large congressional district. Consequently, congressional redistricting is not necessary. State legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature.

Voting

Energy Policy

Energy information

Energy policy involves governmental actions affecting the production, distribution, and consumption of energy in a state. Energy policies are enacted and enforced at the local, state, and federal levels and may change over time. These policies include legislation, regulation, taxes, incentives for energy production or use, standards for energy efficiency, and more. Stakeholders include citizens, politicians, environmental groups, industry groups, and think tanks. A variety of factors can affect the feasibility of federal and state-level energy policies, such as available natural resources, geography, and consumer needs.

Fracking

Environmental Policy

Environmental information

Environmental policy aims to conserve natural resources by balancing environmental protection with economic growth, property rights, public health, and energy production. Federal, state, and local government entities develop and implement environmental policies through laws and regulations. This page features information about environmental policy in Wyoming.

Environmental governance in Wyoming

• The Wyoming House and the Wyoming Senate have two standing committees on Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources and Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources.
• The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the state's chief environmental protection agency. Its stated mission is "protecting, conserving and enhancing Wyoming’s land, air and water for the benefit of current and future generations."
• The Wyoming Department of Game and Fish is the state's wildlife regulatory agency. Its stated mission is to provide for "an adequate and flexible system of control, propagation, management and protection and regulation of all wildlife in Wyoming."
• The Wyoming Office of State Lands is responsible for managing the state's public lands and any mineral, oil or gas exploration on state-owned lands.
• The Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Board is an independent state agency governed by a nine-member citizen board and appointed by the Governor of Wyoming. The board is responsible for conservation and restoration projects. Its stated mission is "to enhance and conserve wildlife habitat and natural resource values throughout the state."

Environmental budget

See also: Environmental spending in the 50 states

The table below features annual budget information for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality from 2011 to 2023:

Environmental and natural resources budget in Wyoming, 2011-2023
Fiscal year	Total spending
2022-2023	$176,145,986
2020-2021	$176,087,916
2018-2019	175,211,959
2016-2017	$177,967,614
2014-2015	$144,198,291
2012-2013	$232,733,815
2010-2011	$70,755,660
Source: Wyoming State Legislature

Air

Clean Air Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is a federal law aimed at maintaining air quality and reducing air pollution. The law requires states and private industries to meet national air pollution standards. Each state must implement an EPA-approved plan to reduce air pollutants from industrial facilities such as chemical plants and utilities. Over 47,000 facilities nationwide were regulated under the Clean Air Act as of February 2023.

The table below features information about the number of regulated facilities under the Clean Air Act in Wyoming from 2014 to 2023:

Regulated facilities under the Clean Air Act in Wyoming, 2014-2023
Year	Number of EPA-regulated facilities	Number of state-regulated facilities	Number of local-regulated facilities	Total regulated facilities
2023	4	158	0	162
2022	4	164	0	168
2021	4	168	0	172
2020	4	171	0	175
2019	4	182	0	186
2018	4	191	0	195
2017	4	207	0	211
2016	4	241	0	245
2015	3	278	0	281
2014	3	437	0	540
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "EPA/State Air Dashboard"

Mercury and air toxics standards

See also: Mercury and air toxics standards

Citing its authority under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011 issued a rule (commonly known as the MATS rule) limiting the amount of mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted by power plants. Mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) target mercury and other hazardous pollutants from over 580 coal and oil-fired power plants nationwide. The MATS rule was issued by the Obama administration as part of its larger policy limiting emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The EPA later reconsidered the MATS rule and, in 2020, determined "that it is not 'appropriate and necessary' to regulate electric utility steam generating units under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA)."

A 2021 proposed rulemaking from the EPA seeks to revoke the 2020 action and reinstate the MATS rule.

During the period that the MATS rule was in effect, Wyoming had 10 power plants subject to the mercury standards.

Ozone standards

See also: Ground-level ozone standards

Federal ozone standards establish the acceptable amount of ground level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when nitrogen oxide combines with other organic chemicals in the atmosphere. Automobiles, power plants, factories and manufacturing centers emit the nitrogen oxide necessary for ozone formation. In high concentrations, ozone is harmful to human health.

EPA in 2015 lowered the acceptable amount of ground-level ozone (smog) in the air. The standards will go into effect in 2025. States would have between the years 2020 and 2037 to create and establish a plan to meet the standards, depending how much ozone forms in certain areas of a state.

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Clean Power Plan

See also: Clean Power Plan and climate change

The EPA in 2015 finalized a regulatory action known as the Clean Power Plan aimed at mitigating what the agency views as potentially human-caused climate change. The plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants (fossil fuel-fired) and natural gas-fired power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Each state would have to meet goals based on the number of fossil fuel- and natural gas-fired plants in the state.

After several states challenged the plan in court, arguing in part that the plan exceeded the EPA's statutory authority, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit delayed the rule's implementation in June 2016. The Trump administration later moved to replace the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule. The D.C. Circuit vacated the Trump-era rule in January 2021, "giving the incoming Biden administration a clean slate for" drafting a new rule, according to Bloomberg.

Carbon dioxide emissions

The following table provides information about annual carbon dioxide emissions in Wyoming from 2010 to 2020:

Carbon dioxide emissions in Wyoming, 2010-2020 (in million metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide)
Year	Total carbon dioxide emissions
2020	55.6
2019	59.1
2018	63.8
2017	62.8
2016	61.3
2015	64.1
2014	65.9
2013	68.9
2012	66.7
2011	64.5
2010	65.6
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Land

Federal land policy

See also: Federal land policy

Federal land policy involves the conservation and management of natural resources on land owned by the federal government. Most federal land policies focus on conservation, recreation, oil and natural gas extraction, wildlife and forest management, and grazing.

The federal government as of 2018 owned around 640 million total acres of land (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Four federal agencies (the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Forest Service (FS) oversee public lands for conservation, recreation, wildlife protection, grazing, energy production, and other purposes. The Department of Defense also oversees federal lands used for military, training, and related purposes. The majority of federal land is located in Alaska and 11 coterminous Western states

Federal land ownership

See also: Federal land ownership by state

The table below features information about changes in federal land ownership in Wyoming from 1990 to 2018:

Change in federal land ownership in Wyoming, 1990-2018
Year	Total federal land (in acres)	Percentage of state land owned by the federal government
2018	29,137,722	46.7%
2010	30,043,513	48.2%
2000	30,081,046	48.3%
1990	30,133,121	48.3%
Source: Congressional Research Service

Federal land management by agency

The following table features information about federal land management in Wyoming by federal agency in 2018:

Federal agency land management in Wyoming, 2018
Agency	Total federal land in state managed by agency (in acres)	Percentage of total federal land in state
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)	17,493,875	60.0%
Forest Service (FS)	9,215,971	31.6%
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)	70,930	0.2%
National Park Service (NPS)	2,345,619	8.1%
Department of Defense (DoD)	11,327	0.0%
Source: Congressional Research Service

National parks

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) as of February 2023 oversaw what the agency describes as 424 units (often referred to as parks) and more than 150 related areas within the National Park System. The agency assists in managing national historic areas, wild and scenic rivers, historic landmarks, and national trails. The National Park System contained more than 85 million acres as of February 2023, including national parks, historical parks and sites, national monuments, battlefields and military parks, recreation areas, seashores, and parkways. More than 297 million visitors attended sites in the National Park System in 2021. NPS employed around 20,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal employees as of February 2023.

NPS operated seven national parks in Wyoming as of February 2023.

The following table features visitation statistics for national parks in Wyoming from 2017 to 2021.

National Park Service visitation in Wyoming, 2017-2021
Year	Total recreation visits
2021	8,586,450
2020	7,089,437
2019	7,431,294
2018	7,662,402
2017	7,456,556
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Payments in lieu of taxes

See also: Payments in lieu of taxes

The U.S. Department of the Interior pays local governments each year to offset what they lose in property taxes due to non-taxable federal land within their borders, commonly known as payments in lieu of taxes (PILT). PILT payments go toward fire and police departments, public schools, road construction, and other local services. PILT amounts are based on population and the amount of federal land in a county. From 1977 (when PILT payments began) to 2022, the Interior Department paid out around $10.8 billion to states, territories, and Washington, D.C. PILT payments can be used for any governmental purpose.

The following table features information about payments in lieu of taxes received by local governments in Wyoming from 2017 to 2021.

Total payments in lieu of taxes, Wyoming, 2017-2021
Year	Total payments in lieu of taxes
2022	$31,521,789
2021	$31,227,593
2020	$30,791,785
2019	$30,210,195
2018	$31,717,661
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Oil and natural gas activity

See also: Oil and natural gas extraction on federal land and BLM oil and gas leases by state

The federal government leases its land to private individuals and companies for energy development, including drilling for crude oil and natural gas, solar energy, and geothermal energy. Oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands in the United States is primarily overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Private oil and natural gas companies apply for leases from the BLM to produce energy on federal land. About 26 million acres of federal land—12.8 million of which produced oil and gas in economic quantities—were leased to about 24,000 oil and gas developers operating 96,000 wells at the end of fiscal year 2018.

The following table features information about oil and natural gas activity on federal land in Wyoming from 2017 to 2021:

Oil and natural gas activity on federal land in Wyoming, 2017-2021
Year	Oil production (in thousands of barrels)	Natural gas production (in million cubic feet)	Total leases in state	Total leased acres in state
2021	47,434,147	1,109,817,013	221	8,073,461
2020	50,354,498	1,185,955,781	223	8,896,853
2019	52,031,456	1,279,283,423	227	8,918,095
2018	43,680,376	1,414,297,242	231	8,084,177
2017	38,564,088	1,407,221,573	235	8,349,353
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Water

Clean Water Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is a federal law regulating pollutants discharged into all waters of the United States, including lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. The federal government approves water quality and technology standards for major sources of water pollution, such as chemical plants, steel manufacturers, municipal facilities, and others. Each state must establish water quality standards for all bodies of water within its boundaries.

Under the Clean Water Act, it is unlawful to discharge any pollutant from any source into navigable waters without a federal permit. The permit specifies what limitations or conditions apply to a facility before the facility may discharge any pollutants. Federal permits may contain facility-specific requirements and limitations depending on the water source.

The following table provides information about the number of Wyoming facilities subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act from 2014 to 2023:

Clean Water Act permits, Wyoming, 2014-2023
Year	Number of facilities
2023	1,893
2022	2,085
2021	2,326
2020	2,310
2019	2,417
2018	2,601
2017	2,667
2016	3,076
2015	3,148
2014	3,257
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Water Activity Dashboard"

Waste

Superfund sites and hazardous waste facilities

See also: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

Superfund is a federal program that addresses contaminated waste sites and their return to practical use. Superfund sites include oil refineries, smelting facilities, mines and other industrial areas. The federal government can compel the private entities responsible for a waste site to clean the site or face penalties. If the federal government cleans a waste site, it can compel the responsible company to reimburse the government for cleanup costs. Because Superfund sites are added and removed from a prioritized list on a regular basis, the total number of Superfund sites since the program's inception in 1980 is unknown.

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act covers hazardous wastes, including their generation, treatment, storage and disposal. States may regulate hazardous wastes rather than the federal government. The EPA is responsible for all hazardous waste requirements if no state program exists. Hazardous waste regulations cover waste generators, transporters, treatment centers, storage and disposal facilities.

Wyoming had one Superfund site and 1,709 regulated hazardous waste facilities as of February 2023.

Endangered species

Endangered Species Act

See also: Endangered species in Wyoming

The Endangered Species Act is a federal law that mandates the listing and conservation of endangered and threatened species. The legislation aims to prevent the extinction of vulnerable species throughout the United States and to recover a species' population to the point where listing the species as endangered or threatened is no longer necessary. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the law's implementation.

Wyoming had 20 federally listed endangered or threatened plant or animal species as of February 2023. To view the full list, click here.

Environmental ballot measures in Wyoming

The following list features historical information about ballot measures relating to environmental issues in Wyoming.

Natural resources

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to natural resources in Wyoming

Environment

• Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust, Amendment A (2006)

Water

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to water in Wyoming

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Recent environmental legislation in Wyoming

The following list features information about environmental bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Wyoming State Legislature in the last five years. To learn more about these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

See also

• Endangered species in Wyoming
• Energy policy in Wyoming
• Federal land policy
• Federal land ownership by state
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. National Park Service

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Footnotes

Endangered species

Endangered species policy in Wyoming involves the identification and protection of endangered and threatened animal and plant species. Policies are implemented and enforced by both the state and federal governments.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of July 2016, Wyoming had 12 species—four endangered species and eight threatened species—listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Of these, eight were animal species and four were plant species.

Finance Policy

Financial regulation information

The United States financial system is a network that facilitates exchanges between lenders and borrowers. The system, which includes banks and investment firms, is the base for all economic activity in the nation. According to the Federal Reserve, financial regulation has two main intended purposes: to ensure the safety and soundness of the financial system and to provide and enforce rules that aim to protect consumers. The regulatory framework varies across industries, with different regulations applying to different financial services.

Individual federal and state entities have different and sometimes overlapping responsibilities within the regulatory system. For example, individual states and three federal agencies—the Federal Reserve, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)—regulate commercial banks. Other sectors of the financial market are regulated by specific entities.

HIGHLIGHTS

In 2015, there were a total of 30 distinct commercial banks in Wyoming, with total deposits of $14.82 billion.

The Division of Banking is responsible for the regulation of banks in Wyoming.

In 2015, a total of 2,374 financial crimes were reported in Wyoming according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), an agency of the United States Department of Treasury.

Some, such as the Brookings Institution, argue that expanded governmental regulation of banks and financial products (e.g., mortgages) can prevent large-scale financial crises, protect consumers from abusive practices, and stabilize financial markets. Others, such as the Cato Institute, argue that over-regulation of banks of banks and financial products burdens business, stalls economic growth, and does little, if anything, to stabilize financial markets. Beyond this basic debate about the role of the government in regulating the private financial sector, there are varying opinions about the proper extent of governmental regulation.

Healthcare Policy

Healthcare information

Healthcare policy in Wyoming involves the creation and implementation of laws, rules, and regulations for managing the state's healthcare system. The healthcare system consists of services provided by medical professionals to diagnose, treat, and prevent mental and physical illness and injury. The system also encompasses a wide range of related sectors, such as insurance, pharmaceuticals and health information technology.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the 50 state legislatures collectively "make thousands of health policy decisions each year," not including the decisions made by local governments, which often oversee hospitals, and private bodies, such as insurers. These decisions can include budget appropriations, requirements for doctors obtaining their licenses, which services are covered by insurance, how personal health information is managed, and which immunizations children must receive, among many others.

Healthcare policy affects not only the cost citizens must pay for care, but also their access to care and the quality of care received, which can influence their overall health. A top concern for policymakers is the rising cost of healthcare, which has placed an increasing strain on the disposable income of consumers as well as on state budgets.

Other issues in healthcare policy include

• state Medicaid expansion,
• health information technology and privacy,
• uninsured and underinsured portions of the population,
• a shortage of primary care physicians, and
• mental healthcare access and coverage.

Medicaid spending

Wyoming's Medicaid program provides medical insurance to groups of low-income people and individuals with disabilities. Medicaid is a nationwide program jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Medicaid eligibility, benefits, and administration are managed by the states within federal guidelines. A program related to Medicaid is the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which covers low-income children above the poverty line and is sometimes operated in conjunction with a state's Medicaid program. Medicaid is a separate program from Medicare, which provides health coverage for the elderly.

Effect of the Affordable Care Act

The impact of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has been debated among politicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders. The ACA was signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama (D). The law facilitated the purchase of health insurance through a system of health insurance exchanges, tax credits, and subsidies. Initially, states were required to expand eligibility for Medicaid under the law. However, a 2012 ruling by the United States Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion voluntary for states. The law also required insurers to cover healthcare services within a standard set of benefits and prohibited coverage denials based on preexisting conditions. Under the law, all individuals are required to obtain health insurance.

HIGHLIGHTS

Between 2013 and 2016, the number of uninsured individuals in Wyoming declined by 13%.

About 22,000 individuals in Wyoming were enrolled in health plans offered through the health insurance exchange in 2017. Enrollment in Medicaid amounted to about 62,000 in May 2017.

The Kaiser Family Foundation found that between 2016 and 2017, average monthly premiums for benchmark plans on Wyoming's exchange increased by an average of 9% in the Cheyenne market, from $426 to $464.

Immigration Policy

Immigration information

Immigration policy determines who may become a new citizen of the United States or enter the country as a temporary worker, student, refugee, or permanent resident. The federal government is responsible for setting and enforcing most immigration policy.

Meanwhile, states assume a largely supportive role, enacting their own supplementary laws and setting policies that may, for example, determine which public services immigrants can access, establish employee screening requirements, or guide the interaction between related state agencies and their federal counterparts.

Some jurisdictions, including some states, cities, and counties, have adopted policies of not cooperating with federal immigration enforcement; these jurisdictions have become known as sanctuary jurisdictions.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2016, Wyoming allowed lawfully residing immigrant pregnant women to enroll in Medicaid. The state did not issue driver's licenses to individuals residing in the country without legal permission.

In 2014, Wyoming's population amounted to a little over 575,000 individuals. Native-born citizens comprised 96.6 percent of the population; 1.2 percent of residents were naturalized citizens and 2.1 percent were non-citizens.

Wyoming's poverty rate during 2014 was 8.0 percent. Among native-born citizens, 7.3 percent lived below the poverty line, compared to 37.1 percent of non-citizens.

Pension Policy

Public pensions

Wyoming public pensions are the state mechanism by which state and many local government employees in Wyoming receive retirement benefits.

There were eight public pension systems in Wyoming as of 2020, administered at the state-level. Membership in Wyoming's various pension systems totaled 84,225, as of fiscal year 2020. Of these, 41,061 were active members.

HIGHLIGHTS

Total contributions of $364.3 million were made to Wyoming's state and local pension systems, in fiscal year 2020. Of this amount, $175.2 million came from employees.

Wyoming's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $655.5 million, in fiscal year 2020.

Wyoming's state and local pension systems held $9.4 billion in total cash and investment holdings, as of fiscal year 2020.

Public policy in other states

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Footnotes