Senator Cynthia Lummis, together with Senator John Barrasso and Representative Harriet Hageman, has introduced the Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act. This legislation aims to amend Wyoming’s State Act of Admission, providing the state’s permanent school land fund with greater investment flexibility to potentially increase annual returns for K-12 education.
“Wyoming’s school trust fund represents one of our state’s most valuable assets for supporting public education and the next generation of Cowboy students,” stated Senator Lummis. “My legislation would allow Wyoming to modernize our investment policies while maintaining the strong protections that have served this fund for more than a century.”
Senator Barrasso added, “The Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act will help build on this success by giving our state more flexibility when it comes to investing our permanent school land fund.”
Representative Hageman emphasized the importance of strengthening long-term stability in education funding: “The Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act is a commonsense, forward-looking solution that honors our constitutional protections while unlocking the full potential of our permanent school land fund.”
Governor Gordon expressed his support for the proposal: “This long-overdue proposal is a natural extension of some of the reforms I undertook while serving as State Treasurer.”
Superintendent Degenfelder commented on the impact of modernizing investment policies: “By modernizing our investment policies, we are unlocking the full potential of our school trust lands.”
Representative Bear from Wyoming House District 31 noted, “Since Wyoming became a state, financial markets and investment strategies have evolved dramatically.”
Wyoming’s State Act of Admission governs how federally granted school lands are managed. Proceeds from these lands must be deposited into a permanent land fund under strict federal regulation. The current law restricts principal funds from being invested, allowing only accrued interest to be used for K-12 education funding. The proposed legislation seeks to enhance investment flexibility to boost annual education funding without affecting the principal.
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