Wyoming Business Council CEO, Josh Dorrell was in the hot seat at the Thursday December 4th Joint Appropriations Committee meeting. Just like every other agency that is “on budget,” a phrase used by legislators to describe items funded by the legislative budgetary process, the Wyoming Business Council is required to request funding through the budgetary process.
Some agencies in Wyoming, such as the Wyoming Game and Fish, are funded through trust funds; and do not have to submit funding requests. Many conservative legislators have often questioned the wisdom of this spending method and have offered legislation to change it.
Governor Gordon recommended in his budget, which was presented Monday, December 1st, the Wyoming Business Council receive $54.6 million—half of what was requested. Dorrell’s original request for FY 2026-2027 was $111,770,612.
At the end of the committee’s morning session, Senator Tim Salazar asked Dorrell how much money would be required to make the WBC successful. Dorrell replied that he would need a billion dollars. A shocked Salazar replied, “You’re going to have to explain that to me.”
Much of the hour-and-a-half presentation to Appropriations, however, was not focused specifically on funding for the agency; rather, legislators zeroed in on Dorrell’s thoughts on “the free market.”
In a question characteristic of the session, Rep Ken Pendergraft of Sheridan (House District 29) asked Dorrell, “What is your view of the free market, or the state of the free market, in The United States today?”
Dorrell replied, “The free market, as an ideal, unfortunately doesn’t exist except at, you know, maybe those ivory tower type institutions that we might call academia, because that’s where it exists--because it’s a model.” His statement is consistent with comments he has made in media interviews.
A week prior, in an interview on Cowboy State Politics, Dorrell said, “The free market is actually, not one, not free. You have to remember those markets are working. The market is working against us. So we have to use government intervention to actually reverse that.”
Pressed on those comments by Pendergraft, Dorrell repeated that same sentiment to the committee. Of the 90 minute presentation, over 40 of it was focused on a back and forth over Dorrell’s view of the free market.
Though it wasn’t specifically mentioned during the committee meeting, Dorrell’s salary is $288,000 per year or $24,000 per month. The agency requested an increase in payroll for their 37 employees of $345,447. Governor Gordon eliminated this increase in his budget request.
The Appropriations Committee meeting was only an initial discussion and no decisions regarding the Wyoming Business Council budget were made. That won’t happen until the committee starts what they call, “mark up.” That date is yet to be determined..