Wyoming Senate

Last updated

Wyoming State Senate
67th Wyoming State Legislature
Seal of the Wyoming State Legislature.png
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 10, 2023
Leadership
President
Ogden Driskill (R)
since January 10, 2023
Vice President
Dave Kinskey (R)
since January 10, 2023
Majority Leader
Larry Hicks (R)
since January 10, 2023
Minority Leader
Chris Rothfuss (D)
since January 7, 2013
Structure
Seats31
Senate diagram 2023 State of Wyoming.svg
Political groups
Majority
  •   Republican (29)

Minority

Length of term
4 years
AuthorityArticle 3, Wyoming Constitution
Salary$150/day + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 5, 2024
(15 seats)
Next election
November 3, 2026
(16 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Wyoming State Capitol
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Website
Wyoming State Legislature

The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 31 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.

Contents

Members of the Senate serve four-year terms without term limits. Term limits were declared unconstitutional by the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2004, overturning a decade-old law that had restricted Senators to three terms (twelve years).

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Wyoming Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, boards, or justices to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Composition of the Senate

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of 59th Legislature237300
End of 60th Legislature237300
End of 61st Legislature264300
End of 62nd Legislature264300
End of 63rd Legislature264300
End of 64th Legislature273300
End of 65th Legislature273300
End of 66th Legislature282300
Beginning of 67th Legislature29231 [a] 0
Latest voting share
  1. A 31st district was created during redistricting.

Leadership

Wyoming, along with Arizona, Maine, and Oregon, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, a position which for most upper houses of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress (with the Vice President) is the head of the legislative body. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the Wyoming executive branch.

The current Senate President is Republican Ogden Driskill of District 1 (Devils Tower).

PositionNameParty
President of the Senate Ogden Driskill Republican
Senate Vice President Dave Kinskey Republican
Majority Leader Larry Hicks Republican
Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss Democratic
Minority Whip Mike Gierau Democratic

Members of the Wyoming Senate

Map of current (March 2021) partisan composition of legislative districts for state senate:
Republican senator
Democratic senator Wyoming state senate Map Current.svg
Map of current (March 2021) partisan composition of legislative districts for state senate:
  Republican senator
  Democratic senator
DistrictRepresentativePartyResidenceCounties Represented Nested House districts [1] First electedNext election
1 Ogden Driskill Republican Devils Tower Campbell, Crook, Weston HD 1, HD 5220102026
2 Brian Boner Republican Douglas Converse, Platte HD 6, HD 622015*2024
3 Cheri Steinmetz Republican Lingle Goshen, Niobrara, Weston HD 2, HD 520182026
4 Tara Nethercott Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 7, HD 820162024
5 Lynn Hutchings RepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 12, HD 4220182026
6 Anthony Bouchard Republican Carpenter LaramieHD 4, HD 1020162024
7 Stephan Pappas RepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 9, HD 4120142026
8 Affie Ellis RepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 11, HD 4420162024
9 Chris Rothfuss Democratic Laramie Albany HD 13, HD 4520102026
10 Dan Furphy RepublicanLaramieAlbanyHD 14, HD 4620202024
11 Larry S. Hicks Republican Baggs Albany, Carbon HD 13, HD 4520102026
12 John Kolb Republican Rock Springs Fremont, Sweetwater HD 17, HD 4820202024
13 Stacy Jones RepublicanRock SpringsSweetwater HD 39, HD 6020222026
14 Fred Baldwin Republican Kemmerer Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta HD 18, HD 2020162024
15 Wendy Davis Schuler Republican Evanston UintaHD 19, HD 4920182026
16 Dan Dockstader Republican Afton Lincoln, Sublette, Teton HD 21, HD 2220082024
17 Mike Gierau Democratic Jackson Hole TetonHD 16, HD 2320182026
18 Tim French Republican Powell Park HD 24, HD 5020202024
19 Dan Laursen RepublicanPowell Big Horn, ParkHD 25, HD 2620142026
20 Ed Cooper Republican Ten Sleep Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie HD 27, HD 2820202024
21 Bo Biteman Republican Ranchester Sheridan HD 29, HD 30, HD 40, HD 51 [a] 20182026
22 Dave Kinskey Republican Sheridan Sheridan, Johnson 2014*2024
23 Eric Barlow Republican Gillette CampbellHD 3, HD 3120222026
24 Troy McKeown RepublicanGilletteCampbellHD 32, HD 5320202024
25 Cale Case Republican Lander Fremont HD 33, HD 5419982026
26 Tim Salazar Republican Riverton FremontHD 34, HD 5520202024
27 Bill Landen Republican Casper Natrona HD 35, HD 362007*2026
28 James Lee Anderson RepublicanCasperNatronaHD 56, HD 5720122024
29 Bob Ide RepublicanCasperNatronaHD 37, HD 5920222026
30 Charles Scott RepublicanCasperNatronaHD 38, HD 5819822024
31 Evie Brennan RepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 43, HD 6120222026
*Senator was originally appointed

History

Women in the Senate

SenatorPartyResidenceSenate TermNotes
Dora McGrath Republican Thermopolis 1931–1933First woman in the Wyoming Senate [2] [3]
Willa Wales Corbitt DemocraticRiverton1965-1969
Edness Kimball Wilkins DemocraticCasper1967-1973First woman to serve as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives [4]
June Boyle Democratic Laramie 1973–1985
Catherine Parks Republican Gillette 1979–1985
Win Hickey Democratic Cheyenne 1981–1991
Lisa F. Kinney DemocraticLaramie1985–1995
Della Herbst Democratic Sheridan 1987–1993
Harriet Elizabeth Byrd DemocraticCheyenne1989–1993First African-American to serve in the State Legislature [5] [6]
Susan C. Anderson Democratic Casper 1993–1995
April Brimmer-Kunz RepublicanCheyenne1993–2005First female President of the Senate
Barbara Cubin RepublicanCasper1993–1995Resigned to become U.S. Representative
Cynthia Lummis RepublicanCheyenne1993–1995Later served as State Treasurer, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator
Mary MacGuire RepublicanCasper1993–1995Son Joe MacGuire currently serves in the Wyoming House of Representatives
Irene Devin RepublicanLaramie1997–2005
Rae Lynn Job Democratic Rock Springs 1997–2009
E. Jayne Mockler DemocraticCheyenne1997–2009
Kathryn Sessions DemocraticCheyenne1999–2011
Jana H. Gunter DemocraticCheyenne2004–2005
Patricia Aullman Republican Thayne 2005–2009
Saundra Meyer Democratic Evanston 2009–2011
Leslie Nutting RepublicanCheyenne2011–2015
Bernadine Craft DemocraticRock Springs2013–2017
Liisa Anselmi-Dalton DemocraticRock Springs2017–2021
Affie Ellis RepublicanCheyenne2017–presentMember of the Navajo Nation, first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate. [7]
Tara Nethercott RepublicanCheyenne2017–present
Wendy Davis Schuler RepublicanEvanston2019–present
Lynn Hutchings RepublicanCheyenne2019–present
Cheri Steinmetz Republican Lingle 2019–present
Evie Brennan RepublicanCheyenne2023–present
Stacy Jones RepublicanRock Springs2023–present

Past composition of the Senate

See also

Notes

  1. Only two senate districts not nested.

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References

  1. "HB0100 - Redistricting of the legislature". Wyoming Legislature. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Historical Information. Wyoming: Wyoming Ssecretary of State Office. 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  3. "Nation's 147 Women Legislators Active". The Palm Beach Post . Associated Press. January 19, 1931. Retrieved March 29, 2010.("In Wyoming, where women have been voting since 1869, Mrs. Dora McGrath is the first woman ever elected to the senate. Following her election last September she remarked that rather than go down to the legislature she would prefer to 'stay home and win prizes for my apple pies.'")
  4. American legislative leaders in the West, 1911-1994. Sharp, Nancy Weatherly., Sharp, James Roger, 1936-. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 1997. ISBN   031330212X. OCLC   35138609.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. University of Wyoming-UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd
  6. "Liz" Byrd, first black woman in Wyoming House, dies at 88"
  7. "First Native American". Women in Wyoming. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.

41°08′25″N104°49′13″W / 41.14028°N 104.82028°W / 41.14028; -104.82028