The first and perhaps largest piece of affordable housing legislation filed in the 2026 budget session has died on introduction.
Senate File 64 would have created a revolving loan program to support cities and towns as they plan for affordable housing, buy land to make it happen or refurbish existing homes.
The bill sought to appropriate $30 million for the low-interest loan program, which local governments, nonprofits and housing authorities would be able to apply for.
Sen. Evie Brennan (R-Cheyenne) urged her colleagues to support the measure.
“We know that housing, and affordable housing, in Wyoming is an issue, and there are several things that can be done that we as a body can do to help that issue,” she said. “As our kids grow up and as they graduate and they start their own lives, they’re going to be able to need housing that they can afford so they can stay in the state.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines “affordable housing” as paying no more than 30% of a household’s income on rent or a mortgage and utilities.
But the Senate voted 15-15 with one senator excused, ending the bill’s journey through the legislature.
The bill was a scaled back version of other legislation that was attempted and failed last year. Wyoming and Mississippi are the only two states in the nation without a housing fund.
At least two other affordable housing bills have yet to be considered in the House. One would fast track the permitting process. The other would remove the ability of next-door landowners to halt a housing development.
During the 2025 general session, despite calls for action regarding Wyoming’s housing crisis, the Legislature did not pass any of the six affordable housing bills filed last year.
