February 2026

The session is underway in Cheyenne!

The legislative session began this month, and Senate File 64 failed shortly thereafter. If passed, this bill would have created a $30 million revolving loan fund for homes in Wyoming. Wyoming is one of two states in the nation that doesn’t have such a fund. There are other bills we’re watching with the help of our statewide partner Wyoming Neighbors for Housing, including a fast track permitting bill and a zoning protest petition bill. The session ends on March 11.

Checkgate: what you need to know

The Laramie County Sheriff’s office opened a criminal investigation regarding Rebecca Bextel’s distribution of checks to lawmakers on February 9. The News & Guide reported that “Cody Republican Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams… said if checks were handed out, it ‘essentially would be bribery and unethical'”.⁠

⁠These acts regarding influencing lawmakers during the session could impact our pro-housing efforts. The good news: we are organized! Along with our statewide partners, we have developed a platform where you can share your voice with your legislators around a pertinent anti-housing bill, House Bill 141. ⁠⁠

If passed, House Bill 141 would significantly defund our local housing production—not to mention undermine the hard work of our elected officials who approved these funding programs and the voters who elected them in the first place.

The House investigative committee met yesterday for the first time. You can watch their meeting here. 

Nelson Drive Neighborhood

The Housing Trust has postponed their meeting with the County Commissioners due to the pending litigation regarding the Nelson Drive neighborhood. We support these homes and believe in maximizing housing opportunities where legally permissible, especially when homes exclusively serve locals. Additional homes at Nelson Drive will meaningfully contribute to our community’s housing goals. We want to see locals living here soon, and will keep you updates regarding next steps with this new housing complex!

Wyoming Neighbors for Housing is hard at work!

We are so proud to see Wyoming Neighbors for Housing organizing pro-housing folks across the state! Building a grassroots movement takes patience, tenacity, and commitment—and we know they’re here for the long haul.⁠⁠

From Wyoming Neighbors for Housing Advocacy Director Jordan Bishop: “'(Wyoming Neighbors for Housing) is pretty simple. It’s in our name. We are neighbors who are for housing in the state of Wyoming, including Laramie. What we do is bring people together around the issue of housing. We educate folks on issues and we support folks to speak up and use their voice to change policy as it relates to housing.’”⁠

Hot Topics in Housing

ShelterJH members share relevant media pieces with one another through our Google Group. Here are what our conversations have been about this month: