Tourism Industry Is Gearing Up To Take On A New Legislature 

Usually when the Wyoming Legislature convenes, the tourism industry is laser-focused on the bills that could hurt, as well as any that could help.

But the 2025 legislative challenges for Wyoming’s second-largest industry aren’t just written in the bills floating around the Capitol — of which there are nearly 525 by now. 

It’s also in all the new faces, and, in some cases, new roles, that have also come with brand-new attitudes. There’s a new sheriff in town, the Freedom Caucus, and that new sheriff is in a budget-slashing mood. 

Already, lawmakers have cut $195 million from the budget, and the tourism industry isn’t immune to the budget cleaver. 

“The Wyoming Office of Tourism did have a supplemental budget request this year,” Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition Executive Director Chris Brown told a group of several hundred tourism industry stakeholders during the Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Conference at Little America on Monday.

The ask was for an equity adjustment for Wyoming Office of Tourism staff. 

“Everyone in this room knows how incredibly hard-working and effective the Wyoming Office of Tourism staff is,” Brown said. “And all this ask was, was to bring them up to a reasonable percentage of pay compared to the private sector. Unfortunately, the joint appropriations committee chose to strike that from the supplemental budget this past week.”

That doesn’t mean the discussion is over, Brown said. On the contrary, it’s just beginning.

“We will continue to work through the course of this interim between now and next budget session to make sure that happens, that it gets across the finish line,” he said.

The Problem Bills 

Brown does still have some particular bills that he’s watching this legislative season which the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition oppose. 

There’s House Bill 163, which seeks to add a fine to the prohibition against hiring unauthorized aliens of $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 per employee for a second offense.

Brown’s issue with the bill is that there’s no provision for a good faith effort.

“Any employer in this room already signs Federal I-9 form, under the penalty of perjury, that the employees that you have, have presented you identification that, to the best of your ability, looks legitimate,” Brown said. “To the best of your knowledge they are authorized and a legitimate worker here in the country.”

Brown said the bill has not yet been introduced to committee, and he’s hopeful that it’s slowing down.

“I have met with the bill sponsor and expressed our concerns to him,” Brown said. 

Brown has asked the bill’s sponsor for, at the least, an amendment to the bill, adding the word intentional to hiring illegal workers. 

“He wasn’t interested in that,” Brown said. “So, we will continue to work with Representative Gary Brown here in Cheyenne, in hopes that this bill can be either amended or go away, because employers already have a serious job in front of them in hiring a legal workforce.”

House Bill 212 would make it more difficult to pass local sales and use taxes by increasing the threshold for putting a measure on the ballot. That figure would go from 50% of municipalities on board to 75%, before voters could be asked the question.

“The other concerning aspect of this bill is that it would give counties the ability to have lodging taxes renewed every two years versus every four,” Brown said. “I know how much work you all put into getting that local option, lodging tax passed every four years. We don’t need to make it more difficult to bring it back in front of voters every two years.”

Brown said the bill’s sponsor has indicated he’s going to pull the bill from consideration. 

“It hasn’t been pulled yet, though,” Brown added, “and it’s one we currently oppose.”

The third bill on Brown’s “no-go” radar is House Bill 290, which would exempt the first $1 million dollars of residential property value from property taxes and increase the state’s sales tax by 2%.

“So, for most of us, that means everything we purchase, everything the industry purchases, would be increased,” Brown said. “We opposed this last year. I don’t think it has a ton of legs to move forward. This year, there’s a number of other property tax relief bills that are being considered. But this is something we’ve got our eye on and should it get traction, we do plan to oppose it.”

On The Watch List

Bills that Brown is monitoring, but hasn’t taken a position on yet, include Senate File 42, which would grant resort hotel liquor licenses for those with at least 35 rooms, and Senate File 48, which would exempt the first $50,000 of fair market value from business property taxes.

Last, but not least, is Senate File 72, the summer vacation preservation act, which proposes to reduce the number of school days by 10. Schools would start no earlier than Labor Day and end no later than Memorial Day.

“I’ve got mixed feedback on this from industry,” Brown said. “So, I’d love to hear from you what you think about this one.”

While the past two years, Wyoming’s hospitality conference hasn’t included a legislative field trip in the program, this year was different. This year, Brown had bright red Cheyenne trolleys on hand to transport attendees of the Tourism and Hospitality Conference to the state Capitol. He wanted to see people from the industry packing the Wyoming House and Senate. crowding into all four balconies of both House and Senate. 

It was a show of friendly force, to help underscore that tourism is important to Wyoming, particularly for all the new faces, or old faces in new roles, at the legislature.

“I love the statistics that say, as an industry we contributed $252 million to Wyoming’s economy last year,” Brown said. “And I love talking about how more than 30,000 people in our state are employed as a result of our industry.”

That’s a point Brown hoped was underscored by the sheer number of people packing the House and Senate.

The Tourism Road Show

But the show won’t stop there. Brown’s making plans for a year-long campaign. 

Wyoming’s legislature has 28 lawmakers who are either new to the legislature or serving in brand-new roles. That doesn’t count the representatives and senators who have switched houses. 

All that newness makes old-fashioned, gum-shoe lobbying, more important than ever, Brown said.

“As I speak to new legislators right now, I wouldn’t say they are guarded up or opposed to tourism,” Brown said. “But I’d say they don’t understand yet how integrated within the community our industry is. And I think a lot of them see us as tourism is this big, bureaucratic governmental entity.”

That couldn’t be further from the truth, Brown added.

“It’s Main Street, Wyoming, providing jobs within your community,” Brown said. “That’s the message we have to be getting across.

“Personalize it,” Brown continued. “Make sure they understand it. Because, I guarantee you no matter what someone’s political ideology is, when they understand how many people in their community rely on these valuable jobs from our industry, when they realize the sales and use taxes that our industry generates in your communities that pay for general services and things like street lights being on, roads being plowed, police or ambulances showing up when we need them — we contribute to that. That’s the story we have to make sure we are telling.”

Brown said he and Office of Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober plan to hit the road this summer, to help communities across the state organize. 

“There are no dumb questions,” Brown said. “Call me and let’s talk about it. Let’s figure out how you can have a successful meeting in your community with your legislators.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.