Wyoming Senate

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.

Wyoming State Senate
66th Wyoming State Legislature
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 12, 2021
Leadership
Dan Dockstader (R)
since January 12, 2021
Vice President of the Senate
Larry Hicks (R)
since January 12, 2021
Majority Leader
Ogden Driskill (R)
since January 12, 2021
Minority Leader
Chris Rothfuss (D)
since January 7, 2013
Structure
Seats30
Political groups
Majority
  •   Republican (28)

Minority

Length of term
4 years
AuthorityArticle 3, Wyoming Constitution
Salary$150/day + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 3, 2020
(15 seats)
Next election
November 8, 2022
(15 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Wyoming State Capitol
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Website
Wyoming State Legislature

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
End of 64th Legislature 27 3 30 0
End of 65th Legislature 27 3 30 0
Beginning of 66th Legislature 28 2 30 0
Latest voting share 93% 7%

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 Dan Dockstader of District 16 (Afton).

PositionNameParty
President of the SenateDan DockstaderRepublican
Senate Vice PresidentLarry HicksRepublican
Majority LeaderOgden DriskillRepublican
Minority LeaderChris RothfussDemocratic
Minority WhipMike GierauDemocratic

Members of the Wyoming Senate

District Representative Party Residence Counties Represented Next election
1 Ogden Driskill Republican Devils Tower Campbell, Crook, Weston 2022
2 Brian Boner Republican Douglas Converse, Platte 2024
3 Cheri Steinmetz Republican Lingle Goshen, Niobrara, Weston 2022
4 Tara Nethercott Republican Cheyenne Laramie 2024
5 Lynn Hutchings Republican Cheyenne Laramie 2022
6 Anthony Bouchard Republican Carpenter Laramie 2024
7 Stephan Pappas Republican Cheyenne Laramie 2022
8 Affie Ellis Republican Cheyenne Laramie 2024
9 Chris Rothfuss Democratic Laramie Albany 2022
10 Dan Furphy Republican Laramie Albany 2024
11 Larry S. Hicks Republican Baggs Albany, Carbon 2022
12 John Kolb Republican Rock Springs Fremont, Sweetwater 2024
13 Tom James Republican Rock Springs Sweetwater 2022
14 Fred Baldwin Republican Kemmerer Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, Uinta 2024
15 Wendy Davis Schuler Republican Evanston Uinta 2022
16 Dan Dockstader Republican Afton Lincoln, Sublette, Teton 2024
17 Mike Gierau Democratic Jackson Hole Teton 2022
18 Tim French Republican Powell Park 2024
19 R. J. Kost Republican Powell Big Horn, Park 2022
20 Ed Cooper Republican Ten Sleep Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie 2024
21 Bo Biteman Republican Ranchester Sheridan 2022
22 Dave Kinskey Republican Sheridan Sheridan, Johnson 2024
23 Jeff Wasserburger Republican Gillette Campbell 2022
24 Troy McKeown Republican Gillette Campbell 2024
25 Cale Case Republican Lander Fremont 2022
26 Tim Salazar Republican Riverton Fremont 2024
27 Bill Landen Republican Casper Natrona 2022
28 James Lee Anderson Republican Casper Natrona 2024
29 Drew Perkins Republican Casper Natrona 2022
30 Charles Scott Republican Casper Natrona 2024

History

Women in the Senate

SenatorPartyResidenceSenate TermNotes
Dora McGrathRepublicanThermopolis1931–1933First woman in the Wyoming Senate[1][2]
Edness Kimball WilkinsDemocraticCasper1967-1973 First woman to serve as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives[3]
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[4][5]
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, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator
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 Springs2017–2021
Affie EllisRepublicanCheyenne2017–presentMember of the Navajo Nation, first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate.[6]
Tara NethercottRepublicanCheyenne2017–present
Wendy Davis SchulerRepublicanEvanston2019–present
Lynn HutchingsRepublicanCheyenne2019–present
Cheri SteinmetzRepublicanLingle2019–present

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 March 29, 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. American legislative leaders in the West, 1911-1994. Sharp, Nancy Weatherly., Sharp, James Roger, 1936-. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 1997. ISBN 031330212X. OCLC 35138609.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. University of Wyoming-UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd
  5. "Liz" Byrd, first black woman in Wyoming House, dies at 88"
  6. "First Native American". Women in Wyoming. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020.

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