This bill establishes a new position within the governor's office titled the "federal natural resource management coordinator," which will be responsible for overseeing and protecting Wyoming's federal natural resource interests. The coordinator will be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate and will serve a four-year term. Key duties include reviewing federal legislative actions, coordinating land exchanges between state and federal entities, protecting state interests from federal overreach, administering an incentive program for state employees, and recruiting employees from federal land management agencies.

Additionally, the bill repeals the existing position of coordinator of state-federal relations and appropriates $10 million from the general fund to support the new coordinator position and its related activities from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. The bill emphasizes that any unspent funds will revert to the state, and it expresses the legislature's intent for the position and funding to be included in the governor's standard budget for the following fiscal biennium. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 9-1-209