SF 124

 2026  26LSO-0349
                              STATE OF WYOMING  ENGROSSED
                          SENATE FILE NO. SF0124
 Economic development-rodeo museum.
 Sponsored       by:     Senator(s)   Driskill,  Anderson,   Barlow,
                       Biteman, Boner, Brennan,     Cooper, Crago,
                       Crum,   Dockstader, Gierau, Hicks, Jones,
                       Kolb, Landen, Laursen, D, Love, Nethercott,
                       Olsen, Pappas, Rothfuss, Schuler and Scott
                       and   Representative(s)  Banks,   Brown,   L,
                       Byron, Campbell, K, Clouston, Davis, Filer,
                       Geringer,    Haroldson,  Harshman,    Jarvis,
                       Larsen, L, Larson, JT, Locke, Nicholas,
                       Sherwood, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Williams,
                       Winter and Wylie
                                     A BILL
                                        for
1 AN   ACT     relating    to   tourism;       providing    an   appropriation;
2 specifying       distribution  and      requirements        for     the
3 appropriation;        requiring    reporting;      and providing for an
4 effective date.
5
6 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
7
8Section 1.
9
10(a)    There     is    appropriated      fifteen    million     dollars
11 ($15,000,000.00)  from    the    Wyoming     tourism       reserve   and
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1 projects account created in W.S. 39-15-111(p)(i)(B) to the
2 Wyoming office of  tourism to   contract    with    a rodeo and
3 cowboy museum and hall of fame project to promote tourism
4 and preserve Wyoming's cowboy heritage and western history.
5 This appropriation shall be distributed to the office of
6 tourism in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
7 This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with
8 the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2036.
9 This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for
10 any other purpose. Notwithstanding W.S. 9-2-1008 and 9-4-
11 207,     any     unexpended,     unobligated       funds     from      this
12 appropriation shall not revert until June 30, 2036.
13
14(b)     The   appropriation    in   subsection      (a)    of   this
15 section shall be distributed to the office of tourism as
16 follows:
17
18(i)     Three million dollars ($3,000,000.00) shall
19 be made available on the effective date of this act and
20 distributed not later than April 15, 2026;
21
22(ii)    Two   million    dollars   ($2,000,000.00)        shall
23 be distributed on July 1, 2026;
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                                                                        ENGROSSED
1
2(iii)       Ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00) shall
3 be distributed on July 1, 2027 or as soon as funds are
4 available on and after that date.
5
6(c)   The appropriation provided in this section shall
7 be subject to all of the following:
8
9(i)        For the period beginning July 1, 2026 and
10 ending June 30, 2028, the appropriation in this section
11 shall take priority and be fully executed in each fiscal
12 year   prior       to    any   required     transfers    from     the   Wyoming
13 tourism reserve and projects account to the Wyoming outdoor
14 recreation and tourism trust fund account pursuant to 2023
15 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 153, Section 2;
16
17(ii)       The    Wyoming     tourism    board     shall   solicit
18 requests for qualifications under subsection (b) of this
19 section      and    reject       or   recommend      approval    of     requests
20 submitted     under       this   paragraph    for     final   action     by   the
21 governor;
22
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1(iii)    The Wyoming tourism board shall determine
2 and    certify      the     project       efforts     have     a   reasonable
3 expectation of increasing tourism to Wyoming and generating
4 additional jobs, gross state product, state revenue, and
5 economic diversification;
6
7(iv)    The expenditure of funds contracted for a
8 project    under     this    section       shall     be    conditioned        upon
9 expenditure of matching funds in the ratio of one dollar
10 ($1.00)   of     project    funds     to    not     less   than    one   dollar
11 ($1.00) of matching funds from any nonstate source;
12
13(v)     Approval and allocation of any project under
14 this section shall include a repayment provision if the
15 project cannot be completed by June 30, 2030;
16
17(vi)    Prior to final  approval       by the governor,
18 any    proposed    contract     shall      first     be    reviewed      by   the
19 attorney general, who shall certify the legality of the
20 transaction and all documents connected therewith;
21
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1(vii)      The    governor     shall      approve        the   project
2 contract only upon a determination that the project will
3 result in a substantial benefit to the public.
4
5(d)   Not   later      than    November     1   of      each    year   until
6 November 1, 2036, the office of tourism shall report to the
7 joint    appropriations        committee      on    the       expenditures    made
8 each fiscal year from the appropriation in subsection (a)
9 of this section.
10
11Section     2.   This    act    is   effective  immediately     upon
12 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
13 as     provided    by    Article      4,    Section       8    of     the   Wyoming
14 Constitution.
15
16
17(END)
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