Gov. Gordon Signs Budget, Issues Multiple Line‑Item Vetoes, Including on SUN Bucks

Gov. Mark Gordon signed Wyoming’s two‑year, roughly $11 billion state budget late Thursday, approving most of the Legislature’s spending plan while using his line‑item veto authority to remove about two dozen items and footnotes.

In his accompanying budget message, Gordon said delivering a “sound budget” with shared credit among the House, Senate and executive branch was a significant accomplishment. He specifically cited funding for state employee salary increases and developmental preschool cost adjustments.

However, the governor’s vetoes targeted a range of provisions, many tied to what he described as legislative overreach into executive functions. Among his key objections were several agency budget footnotes that prescribed how state departments should use their funds or staff positions; Gordon said those directives infringe on the executive branch’s management authority.

One high‑profile outcome of the budget process was the exclusion of state funding for the SUN Bucks summer food program, which would have helped families cover the gap in meals when school is not in session. Funding for SUN Bucks did not make it into the Legislature’s final unified budget, and efforts this session to include it failed. Wyoming remains one of about a dozen states not participating in the federal program, which provides about $40 per month per child to eligible families.

Gordon criticized cuts to the program, saying eliminating SUN Bucks “makes life more difficult for already struggling families.”

Other vetoes focused on budget provisions affecting the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. The governor removed restrictions and reporting requirements for the Business Council’s funding and vetoed university directives tied to cost‑savings plans and staffing reviews, saying preset legislative outcomes could limit the value of internal evaluations.

Lawmakers now have the option to attempt overrides of Gordon’s vetoes, which require two‑thirds support in both the Senate and House. At the time of publication, the Senate had not yet taken action on overrides.

The final budget largely reflects the Senate’s approach, which aligned more closely with Gordon’s original proposal, after months of negotiation between the Senate and House versions.