Wyoming Senate

Last updated

Wyoming State Senate
68th Wyoming State Legislature
Seal of the Wyoming State Legislature.png
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 14, 2025
Leadership
President
Bo Biteman (R)
since January 14, 2025
Vice President
Tim Salazar (R)
since January 14, 2025
Majority Leader
Tara Nethercott (R)
since January 14, 2025
Minority Leader
Mike Gierau (D)
since January 14, 2025
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 67th Legislature29231 [a] 0
Beginning of 68th Legislature292310
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 Bo Biteman of District 21 (Ranchester).

PositionNamePartyDistrict
President of the Senate Bo Biteman Republican 21
Senate Vice President Tim Salazar Republican 26
Majority Leader Tara Nethercott Republican 4
Minority Leader Mike Gierau Democratic 17
Minority Whip Chris Rothfuss Democratic 9

Members of the Wyoming Senate

Map of current districts, colored by sitting senator's party Republican Democratic Wyoming Senate Map 2024(2).png
Map of current districts, colored by sitting senator's party
  Republican
  Democratic
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*2028
3 Cheri Steinmetz Republican Lingle Goshen, Niobrara, Weston HD 2, HD 520182026
4 Tara Nethercott Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 7, HD 820162028
5 Lynn Hutchings Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 12, HD 4220182026
6 Darin Smith Republican Laramie HD 4, HD 1020242028
7 Stephan Pappas Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 9, HD 4120142026
8 Jared Olsen Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 11, HD 4420242028
9 Chris Rothfuss Democratic Laramie Albany HD 13, HD 4520102026
10 Gary Crum Republican Laramie Albany HD 14, HD 4620242028
11 Larry S. Hicks Republican Baggs Albany, Carbon HD 13, HD 4520102026
12 John Kolb Republican Rock Springs Fremont, Sweetwater HD 17, HD 4820202028
13 Stacy Jones Republican Rock Springs Sweetwater HD 39, HD 6020222026
14 Laura Taliaferro Pearson Republican Kemmerer Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta HD 18, HD 2020242028
15 Wendy Davis Schuler Republican Evanston Uinta HD 19, HD 4920182026
16 Dan Dockstader Republican Afton Lincoln, Sublette, Teton HD 21, HD 2220082028
17 Mike Gierau Democratic Jackson Hole Teton HD 16, HD 2320182026
18 Tim French Republican Powell Park HD 24, HD 5020202028
19 Dan Laursen Republican Powell Big Horn, Park HD 25, HD 2620142026
20 Ed Cooper Republican Ten Sleep Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie HD 27, HD 2820202028
21 Bo Biteman Republican Ranchester Sheridan HD 29, HD 30, HD 40, HD 51 [a] 20182026
22 Barry Crago Republican Buffalo Sheridan, Johnson 20242028
23 Eric Barlow Republican Gillette Campbell HD 3, HD 3120222026
24 Troy McKeown Republican Gillette Campbell HD 32, HD 5320202028
25 Cale Case Republican Lander Fremont HD 33, HD 5419982026
26 Tim Salazar Republican Riverton Fremont HD 34, HD 5520202028
27 Bill Landen Republican Casper Natrona HD 35, HD 362007*2026
28 James Lee Anderson Republican Casper Natrona HD 56, HD 5720122028
29 Bob Ide Republican Casper Natrona HD 37, HD 5920222026
30 Charles Scott Republican Casper Natrona HD 38, HD 5819822028
31 Evie Brennan Republican Cheyenne Laramie HD 43, HD 6120222026
*Senator was originally appointed

Current committees and members

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 RepublicanCheyenne2017–2025Member 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
Laura Taliaferro Pearson RepublicanKemmerer2025–present

Past composition of the Senate

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
57th Legislature (2003-2004)2010300
58th Legislature (2005-2006)237300
59th Legislature (2007-2008)237300
60th Legislature (2009-2010)237300
61st Legislature (2011-2012)264300
62nd Legislature (2013-2014)264300
63rd Legislature (2015-2016)264300
64th Legislature (2017-2018)273300
65th Legislature (2019-2020)273300
66th Legislature (2021-2022)282300
67th Legislature (2023-2024)29231 [b] 0

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Only two senate districts not nested.
  2. ↑ A 31st district was created during redistricting.

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.

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