SF 109

 2026  26LSO-0367
                            STATE OF WYOMING  ENGROSSED
                        SENATE FILE NO. SF0109
 Cowboy state agricultural trust fund.
 Sponsored     by:    Senator(s) Boner, Driskill and Love and
                     Representative(s) Banks, Davis, Fornstrom,
                     Strock and Winter
                                  A BILL
                                      for
1 AN ACT relating to the administration of the government;
2 creating      the    cowboy    state       agricultural     trust     fund;
3 specifying requirements and authorized expenditures for the
4 fund;    creating    the    cowboy   state   agricultural    trust    fund
5 committee; specifying duties and oversight responsibilities
6 of     the   committee;     requiring      reporting;     requiring    the
7 transfer of funds; requiring rulemaking; and providing for
8 effective dates.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
11
12Section 1.     W.S. 11-53-101 and 11-53-102 are created
13 to read:
14
15CHAPTER 53
                                       1  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                       ENGROSSED
1COWBOY STATE AGRICULTURAL TRUST
2
311-53-101.      Cowboy     state  agricultural       trust    fund;
4 requirements; investments; expenditures.
5
6(a)    As used in this chapter:
7
8(i)    "Committee"  means  the     cowboy     state
9 agricultural  trust     fund       committee        created     in       W.S.
10 11-53-102(a);
11
12(ii)    "Fund" means the cowboy state agricultural
13 trust fund created in subsection (b) of this section.
14
15(b)    There is       created the cowboy state  agricultural
16 trust fund. The state treasurer shall invest the fund in
17 accordance with law.  Except for investment earnings from
18 the fund and other funds granted or appropriated to the
19 fund    for   specific       purposes      and     expenditures,     all    funds
20 deposited     into     or    within       the    fund    are    intended    to    be
21 inviolate     and    constitute       a    permanent       or   perpetual   trust
22 fund.    In   adopting       investment  policy    statements      for    the
23 fund, the state loan and investment board, in consultation
                                       2  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                          ENGROSSED
1 with the investment funds committee, shall seek to preserve
2 the balance of the fund in a manner that strives for the
3 highest possible risk-adjusted total net return consistent
4 with an appropriate level of safety and liquidity.
5
6(c)    Earnings from the investment of the fund shall be
7 deposited     in   the   cowboy    state  agricultural      trust      income
8 account, which is hereby created. The income account shall
9 consist of those funds credited to the income account under
10 this subsection and all other monies collected from federal
11 grants and other contributions, grants, gifts, bequests and
12 donations specifically designated  to the income account.
13 Funds     within      the      income        account        are        continuously
14 appropriated to the committee for the purposes specified in
15 this article.
16
17(d)    The committee may accept contributions, grants,
18 gifts,    transfers,        bequests       and   donations        to    the   income
19 account created in subsection (c) of this section, unless
20 the donor expressly directs the monies to the trust fund.
21 Funds received by the committee under this subsection shall
22 be used by the committee for the purposes specified in this
23 article      unless   the    grantor       has    limited    the       purposes   or
                                        3  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                          ENGROSSED
1 terms    of     expenditure      of     the    funds    received      under    this
2 subsection.
3
4(e)    Funds    within     the       income   account    shall     only    be
5 expended      by     the   committee  to    provide     grants    for     the
6 following purposes:
7
8(i)     Programs        and  initiatives        related      to
9 production agriculture at the University of Wyoming college
10 of agriculture, life sciences and natural resources;
11
12(ii)    Agriculture workforce development programs
13 and initiatives at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming
14 community       colleges.       For      purposes      of     this      paragraph,
15 workforce development programs shall provide support  for
16 production agriculture, value-added agriculture or natural
17 resource personnel who are or will be employed by federal
18 and     state       agencies     and        shall     incorporate       practical
19 experience, work experience and internships;
20
21(iii)     Agriculture  education  or      classroom
22 programs      that     provide        curricula       or     other    educational
23 resources for agriculture education in Wyoming schools;
                                         4  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                    ENGROSSED
1
2(iv)     Support  or        development  for
3 agriculture-focused classes in Wyoming high  schools that
4 offer concurrent credit with a Wyoming community college;
5
6(v)     Value-added agricultural projects;
7
8(vi)     The      enhancement       of      business-related
9 education for agriculture, including marketing, addressing
10 regulatory burdens to new markets and business strategies
11 for growing agricultural business;
12
13(vii)     The incorporation of new technologies and
14 practices      into  operational      practice     in      production
15 agriculture;
16
17(viii)     Other    efforts,    programs     and    initiatives
18 to expand the productivity, profitability or sustainability
19 of Wyoming agriculture.
20
21(f)   Subject to subsection (g) of this section, grants
22 made by the committee under this section:
23
                                     5  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                   ENGROSSED
1(i)     May be made to Wyoming government entities,
2 educational        institutions     and     other       qualified       public
3 entities incorporated in Wyoming;
4
5(ii)    Shall be matched in the ratio of one dollar
6 ($1.00) of cowboy state agricultural trust funds from the
7 income   account      to   not   less    than   one    dollar    ($1.00)    of
8 matching nonstate funds;
9
10(iii)    Shall require the recipient to report to
11 the committee not less than annually on the expenditure of
12 grant funds received under this section.
13
14(g)   No funds shall be expended under this section for
15 grants exceeding two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00)
16 except upon specific legislative authorization.
17
1811-53-102.     Cowboy     state     agricultural  trust    fund
19 committee.
20
21(a)   There is      created the cowboy state  agricultural
22 trust fund committee consisting of the following persons:
23
                                    6  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                 ENGROSSED
1(i)     The director;
2
3(ii)    The   dean     of       the    University   of    Wyoming
4 college of agriculture, life sciences and natural resources
5 or the dean's designee;
6
7(iii)    The chief executive officer of the Wyoming
8 business council or the officer's designee;
9
10(iv)    A representative of the Wyoming community
11 college commission;
12
13(v)     A representative of Wyoming high schools who
14 teaches vocational or career and technical education;
15
16(vi)    A designee of a Wyoming nonprofit entity
17 that   supports   agriculture        in    the    classroom    or   similar
18 agricultural education initiatives;
19
20(vii)    Three   (3)       persons      actively    involved   in
21 production agriculture in Wyoming.
22
                                  7  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                         ENGROSSED
1(b)   The governor shall appoint to the committee the
2 persons specified in paragraphs (a)(iv) through (vii) of
3 this section with the advice and consent of the senate in
4 accordance      with   W.S.      28-12-101       through  28-12-103.     The
5 persons      appointed    to     the      committee  as     specified     in
6 paragraphs (a)(iv) through (vii) of this section shall be
7 appointed for three (3) year terms, except as otherwise
8 provided in this subsection. For the initial appointments
9 made    under   this     subsection,       two      (2)    members      shall    be
10 appointed for a one (1) year term, two (2) members shall be
11 appointed for a term of two (2) years and two (2) members
12 shall   be   appointed     for    a    term    of    three       (3)   years.   The
13 persons      appointed    to     the      committee  as     specified     in
14 paragraphs (a)(i) through (iii) of this section shall serve
15 during the term of their appointment or employment. The
16 governor may remove any committee member as provided in
17 W.S. 9-1-202.
18
19(c)   The   department  shall        provide        staffing     and
20 administrative support for the committee.
21
22(d)   The committee shall:
23
                                       8  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                              ENGROSSED
1(i)     Develop and provide an application process
2 for the awarding of grants from the income account created
3 in W.S. 11-53-101(c);
4
5(ii)    Oversee  the       expenditure  of    grant     funds
6 awarded under this article to ensure compliance with this
7 article and any other requirements under law;
8
9(iii)       Report to the joint agriculture, state and
10 public lands and water resources interim committee on the
11 cowboy   state      agricultural  trust       fund    and    grants       awarded
12 under this article not later than October 1, 2027 and each
13 October 1 thereafter.
14
15Section 2.
16
17(a)   On    the    effective  date    of   this     act,     the    state
18 auditor shall transfer ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00)
19 from   the   general  fund   to    the       cowboy    state      agricultural
20 trust fund, as created by section 1 of this act.
21
22(b)   There       is    appropriated  forty-two  thousand    nine
23 hundred forty-four dollars ($42,944.00) from  the general
                                           9  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                    ENGROSSED
1 fund    to    the    department       of   agriculture     for   purposes   of
2 paying       for    the   cowboy      state    agricultural      trust   fund
3 committee's  travel      and    other    administrative      expenses
4 associated with committee activities.  This appropriation
5 shall be for the period beginning with the effective date
6 of this act and ending June 30, 2028.  This appropriation
7 shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose
8 and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this
9 appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30,
10 2028.
11
12Section      3.    The     Wyoming     department    of   agriculture
13 shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.
14
                                       10  SF0109
 2026  STATE OF WYOMING  26LSO-0367
                                                                     ENGROSSED
1Section 4.
2
3(a)   Except   as       provided    in   subsection      (b)    of   this
4 section, this act is effective July 1, 2026.
5
6(b)   Sections      3    and   4    of   this   act   are      effective
7 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
8 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
9 the Wyoming Constitution.
10
11(END)
                                       11  SF0109