Wyoming Senate

Wyoming State Senate
Wyoming State Legislature

Type
Type	Upper House
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 13, 2015
Leadership
President of the Senate	Phil Nicholas (R) Since January 13, 2015
Vice President of the Senate	Drew Perkins (R) Since January 13, 2015
Majority Leader	Eli Bebout (R) Since January 13, 2015
Minority Leader	Chris Rothfuss (D) Since January 7, 2013
Structure
Seats	30

Political groups	Governing party Republican (26) Opposition party Democratic (4)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article 3, Wyoming Constitution
Salary	$150/day + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 4, 2014 (15 seats)
Next election	November 1, 2016 (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

Beginning of 63rd Legislature	26	4	30	0
Latest voting share	86.7%	13.3%

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 Phil Nicholas of District 10 (Laramie).

Position	Name	Party
President of the Senate	Phil Nicholas	Republican
Majority Leader	Eli Bebout	Republican
Senate Vice President	Drew Perkins	Republican
Minority Leader	Chris Rothfuss	Democratic
Minority Whip	Bernadine Craft	Democratic

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	Tony Ross	Republican	Cheyenne	Laramie
5	Fred Emerich	Republican	Cheyenne	Laramie
6	Wayne Johnson	Republican	Cheyenne	Laramie
7	Stephan Pappas	Republican	Cheyenne	Laramie
8	Floyd Esquibel	Democratic	Cheyenne	Laramie
9	Chris Rothfuss	Democratic	Laramie	Albany
10	Phil Nicholas	Republican	Laramie	Albany
11	Larry S. Hicks	Republican	Baggs	Albany, Carbon
12	Bernadine Craft	Democratic	Rock Springs	Fremont, Sweetwater
13	John Hastert	Democratic	Green River	Sweetwater
14	Stan Cooper	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	Gerald Geis	Republican	Worland	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

Dora McGrath became the first woman elected to the Wyoming State Senate, in 1930.^[1]^[2]

Harriet Elizabeth Byrd was the first African-American to serve in the Wyoming State Senate from 1988 to 1992, and was also the first African-American to serve in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1981 to 1988.^[3]^[4]

References

↑ "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Historical Information. Wyoming: Wyoming Ssecretary of State Office. 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
↑ 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.'")
↑ University of Wyoming-UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd
↑ "Liz" Byrd, first black woman in Wyoming House, dies at 88"

External links

Members of the Wyoming State Senate

63rd Legislature (2015) President of the Senate: Phil Nicholas (R) Senate Vice President: Drew Perkins (R) Majority Leader: Eli Bebout (R) Minority Leader: Chris Rothfuss (D)

Ogden Driskill (R) Brian Boner (R) Curt Meier (R) Tony Ross (R) Fred Emerich (R) Wayne Johnson (R) Stephan Pappas (R) Floyd Esquibel (D) Chris Rothfuss (D) Phil Nicholas (R) Larry S. Hicks (R) Bernadine Craft (D) John Hastert (D) Stan Cooper (R) Paul Barnard (R) Dan Dockstader (R) Leland Christensen (R) Hank Coe (R) R. Ray Peterson (R) Gerald Geis (R) Bruce Burns (R) Dave Kinskey (R) Jeff Wasserburger (R) Michael Von Flatern (R) Cale Case (R) Eli Bebout (R) Bill Landen (R) James Lee Anderson (R) Drew Perkins (R) Charles Scott (R)

Republican (26) Democratic (4) Wyoming State Legislature Wyoming House of Representatives Wyoming State Senate

Legislatures of the United States

United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate

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

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 136075905 LCCN: n83023017

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