Wyoming Senate

Wyoming State Senate
Wyoming State Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 10, 2017
Leadership
Eli Bebout (R)
Since January 10, 2017
Vice President of the Senate
Michael Von Flatern (R)
Since January 10, 2017
Majority Leader
Drew Perkins (R)
Since January 10, 2017
Minority Leader
Chris Rothfuss (D)
Since January 7, 2013
Structure
Seats 30
Political groups

Majority

Minority

Length of term
4 years
Authority Article 3, Wyoming Constitution
Salary $150/day + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 8, 2016
(15 seats)
Next election
November 6, 2018
(15 seats)
Redistricting Legislative 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 30 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.

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

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of 59th Legislature 23 7 30 0
End of 60th Legislature 23 7 30 0
End of 61st Legislature 26 4 30 0
End of 62nd Legislature 26 4 30 0
End of 63rd Legislature 26 4 30 0
Beginning of 64th Legislature 27 3 30 0
Latest voting share 90% 10%

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 Eli Bebout of District 26 (Riverton).

PositionNameParty
President of the SenateEli BeboutRepublican
Majority LeaderDrew PerkinsRepublican
Senate Vice PresidentMichael Von FlaternRepublican
Minority LeaderChris RothfussDemocratic
Minority WhipJohn HastertDemocratic

Members of the Wyoming Senate

District Representative Party Residence Counties Represented
1 Ogden Driskill Republican Devils Tower Converse, Crook, Goshen, Niobrara, Weston
2 Brian Boner Republican Douglas Converse, Platte
3 Curt Meier Republican LaGrange Goshen, Platte
4 Tara Nethercott Republican Cheyenne Laramie
5 Fred Emerich Republican Cheyenne Laramie
6 Anthony Bouchard Republican Carpenter Laramie
7 Stephan Pappas Republican Cheyenne Laramie
8 Affie Ellis Republican Cheyenne Laramie
9 Chris Rothfuss Democratic Laramie Albany
10 Glenn Moniz Republican Laramie Albany
11 Larry S. Hicks Republican Baggs Albany, Carbon
12 Liisa Anselmi-Dalton Democratic Rock Springs Fremont, Sweetwater
13 John Hastert Democratic Green River Sweetwater
14 Fred Baldwin Republican Kemmerer Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta
15 Paul Barnard Republican Evanston Uinta
16 Dan Dockstader Republican Afton Lincoln, Sublette, Teton
17 Leland Christensen Republican Alta Fremont, Teton
18 Hank Coe Republican Cody Park
19 R. Ray Peterson Republican Cowley Big Horn, Park
20 Wyatt Agar Republican Thermopolis Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie
21 Bruce Burns Republican Sheridan Sheridan
22 Dave Kinskey Republican Sheridan Sheridan, Johnson
23 Jeff Wasserburger Republican Gillette Campbell
24 Michael Von Flatern Republican Gillette Campbell
25 Cale Case Republican Lander Fremont
26 Eli Bebout Republican Riverton Fremont
27 Bill Landen Republican Casper Natrona
28 James Lee Anderson Republican Casper Natrona
29 Drew Perkins Republican Casper Natrona
30 Charles Scott Republican Casper Natrona

History

Women in the Senate

SenatorPartyResidenceSenate TermNotes
Dora McGrathRepublicanThermopolis1931–1933First woman in the Wyoming Senate[1][2]
June BoyleDemocraticLaramie1973–1985
Catherine ParksRepublicanGillette1979–1985
Win HickeyDemocraticCheyenne1981–1991
Lisa KinneyDemocraticLaramie1985–1995
Della HerbstDemocraticSheridan1987–1993
Harriet Elizabeth ByrdDemocraticCheyenne1989–1993First African-American to serve in the State Legislature[3][4]
Susan AndersonDemocraticCasper1993–1995
April Brimmer-KunzRepublicanCheyenne1993–2005First female President of the Senate
Barbara CubinRepublicanCasper1993–1995Resigned to become U.S. Representative
Cynthia LummisRepublicanCheyenne1993–1995Later served as State Treasurer and U.S. Representative
Mary MacGuireRepublicanCasper1993–1995Son Joe MacGuire currently serves in the Wyoming House of Representatives
Irene DevinRepublicanLaramie1997–2005
Rae Lynn JobDemocraticRock Springs1997–2009
E. Jayne MocklerDemocraticCheyenne1997–2009
Kathryn SessionsDemocraticCheyenne1999–2011
Jana GunterDemocraticCheyenne2004–2005
Patricia AullmanRepublicanThayne2005–2009
Saundra MeyerDemocraticEvanston2009–2011
Leslie NuttingRepublicanCheyenne2011–2015
Bernadine CraftDemocraticRock Springs2013–2017
Liisa Anselmi-DaltonDemocraticRock Springs2017–
Affie EllisRepublicanCheyenne2017–
Tara NethercottRepublicanCheyenne2017–

Past composition of the Senate

See also

References

  1. "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Historical Information. Wyoming: Wyoming Ssecretary of State Office. 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  2. Associated Press (January 19, 1931). "Nation's 147 Women Legislators Active". The Palm Beach Post. 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.'")
  3. University of Wyoming-UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd
  4. "Liz" Byrd, first black woman in Wyoming House, dies at 88"

Coordinates: 41°08′25″N 104°49′13″W / 41.14028°N 104.82028°W / 41.14028; -104.82028

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