CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature has passed an $87 million remodel of the Veterans’ Home of Wyoming in Buffalo, rejecting efforts to strip the project from House Bill 111 and betting that the state can recover tens of millions from Washington before costs climb even higher.
HB 111, which has now cleared both the House and Senate, carries $207 million in building projects and $233 million in major maintenance. The veterans home remodel is the single largest line item in the bill.
The project has been debated for years, with cost estimates ballooning from $50 million to $87 million as the Legislature waited for federal veterans facility funding that never arrived.
The facility in Buffalo houses 57 veterans in a building that is not ADA compliant and has been held together by major maintenance for 25 years, according to discussion on the Senate floor Wednesday.
Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, framed the expenditure as a gamble the state can no longer afford to defer.
“The first time I brought the motion to get it paid for it was $50 million,” Crago told his colleagues. “Next year, if we come back and have the same discussion, instead of $86 million, we will be talking about $120 million.”
Crago said the amount of federal funding available is dropping and argued that a new administration in Washington and Wyoming’s congressional delegation in more influential positions make this the moment to act.
“Let’s get it paid for. Ask the feds to pay us back and move on,” Crago said. “It’s not going to get any cheaper.”
The project has had a complete design and a contractor on standby for approximately two years, according to testimony from the State Construction Department. Construction would take three to four years and be phased so current residents can remain on-site.
Spending Warnings
Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, pushed back at multiple stages. In committee on Tuesday, Salazar moved to strip the veterans home funding entirely, with Sen. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, seconding the motion.
“That was my understanding as well,” Salazar said when Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, noted the body had previously agreed to wait for federal funding.
The amendment failed after Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, argued that costs will only increase.
“I think costs never go down,” Gierau said. “Given the fact that there’s a new administration, given the fact that our congressional delegation might have a little more push to be able to get it done, I think it’s worth it.”
On the Senate floor, Salazar did not move to strip the project again but cautioned his colleagues.
“There are some who believe $87 million is a lot of money and are not excited about that project,” Salazar said.
Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, questioned whether major maintenance could keep the facility operational.
That’s when Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, recalled touring the facility. Landen pushed back, saying, “It feels like we either fix it and get it up to speed for the next two generations, or we figure out a way to close it. Because you can’t continue to limp a facility along like that one.”
Crago told the body the facility is not ADA compliant, noting that staff sometimes have to carry residents in wheelchairs because they cannot move through the building freely.
“Our veterans deserve better,” Crago said.
Federal Frustration
Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, voiced frustration that Wyoming is shouldering what he characterized as a federal obligation.
“We’re picking up the whole bill,” Hicks said. “The federal government has the obligations, not willing to come up with the dollars.”
The bill includes a provision that any federal funds received for the veterans home would be deposited into the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, dollar for dollar, to reimburse the state’s general fund.
Sen. Bob Ide, R-Casper, echoed the sentiment that the veterans home and other projects should be federally or privately funded.
Amendments Killed
The veterans home was not the only flashpoint. The Senate took up four floor amendments, adopting two and rejecting two, with commentary about spending peppering the debate.
“I will simply say this: It adds up. It adds up,” Salazar said. “I put that forward as a warning.”
Landen acknowledged the state has fallen behind on construction but raised concerns about capacity and a large school facilities bill also in the pipeline.
“This becomes the football that we kick back and forth,” Landen said.
Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, brought an amendment for $16 million for a new Enzi building at Gillette College, structured as a one-to-one match contingent on the college district adopting a four-mill levy. That amendment failed 16-13 on a division vote.
Heart Flutters
One amendment did draw bipartisan support. Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, offered $750,000 on a one-to-one match for Central Wyoming College’s new campus in Jackson, a project he has shepherded since 2018 through multiple appropriations and two local tax votes totaling more than $20 million in Teton County contributions.
Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, drew laughs when he rose in support.
“I want to know if there’s a doctor in the building, just in case my colleague from Teton has heart flutters,” Hicks said, before adding that the Legislature should finish what it starts.
Gierau responded that the campus includes a mock surgical room for training certified nursing assistants — “just in case I do have that heart problem.”
HB 111 passed both chambers and now heads to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk. The total general fund commitment stands at roughly $360 million, with $47 million in federal funds and $33 million in private contributions. The bill also allows the state to acquire land for a future state penitentiary and releases $5 million for the Wyoming State Shooting Complex near Cody.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
