Wyoming Legislature To Consider Spending Of COVID-19 Funding

The Wyoming Legislature is set to consider how to allocate money given to the state through the federal CARES legislation in a two-day session that is slated to begin on Friday, May 15.

The session is scheduled to continue on Saturday, May 16. There is also a very good chance that one or more additional sessions of the legislature will be scheduled for later this year, but so far none have been formally announced.

The state was awarded about $1,25 billion under the legislation, which is designed to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. But there are some restrictions on how the money can be spent.

Rep. Tyler Lindholm, [R-Sundance] said this week that the money can't be spent to make up a deficit in the existing state budget, for example. You can see the bills that have been filed for the two-day special session here.

Among the proposals so far are bills to help small businesses, give businesses immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits, and several others.

Due to the pandemic, the session is slated to be conducted electronically, with most lawmakers participating form their homes or offices using the Zoom platform. The general public will not be allowed in the building, but you can watch the proceedings on Youtube.