28-1-115. Submission of state agency plans to legislature; contents; purposes.

(a) To assist the legislature in its deliberations, every state agency shall:

(i) No later than December 1, 1994, prepare and thereafter maintain a statement of policies and statutory authority that guide the programs, activities and functions of the agency. The plan shall specify those objectives against which the agency will be measured to evaluate its effectiveness. An agency may implement only those programs that are specifically established by constitutional or statutory authority;

(ii) As required by the governor or by the legislature by law, develop a multi-year plan to accomplish and further the goals and objectives defined in W.S. 28-1-116(a). The plan development shall include an opportunity for public review and comment. The plan shall be submitted to the governor for his approval. The plan shall:

(A) Include performance measures that provide methods and criteria to measure the agency's performance in conducting its activities and in achieving its goals and objectives. The methods and criteria shall comply with standards developed by the governmental accounting standards board. Performance measures shall be developed by the agency and audited by the department of audit;

(B) State the relative priority that each current or proposed program bears with regard to all other programs and objectives within the agency;

(C) Be developed with a multi-year prospective and provide the strategic approach within which the agency's budget request is developed;

(D) Include sufficient information for evaluation of the following:

(I) The specific purpose of each program, function and activity of the executive branch of government or any other major entity that receives funding from state revenue;

(II) The specific public benefit that does or should result from the program, function or activity;

(III) Alternative courses of action that would result in administration of the same program, function or activity in a more efficient or effective manner including:

(1) Whether a program, function or activity could be implemented more effectively by another level of government or by a private entity;

(2) Whether there is sufficient public benefit to justify the funding necessary for the program, function or activity.

(IV) The consequences of discontinuing any program, function or activity;

(V) Whether the methods, rules and policies employed by the agency to implement a program, function or activity are cost-effective, efficient and consistent with law and impose a minimum of regulatory burden;

(VI) The results and outcomes associated with the program, function or activity from the previous plan.

(b) Financial resources necessary to implement the policies and goals of each agency program shall be clearly identified as a part of each biennial or supplemental budget request. Any state program, function or activity not included in an annual state agency plan shall not receive funding for the subsequent budget period.

(c) Each agency shall submit by the third Monday in November of each year an annual performance report to the governor with copies to the legislative service office to provide a basis for evaluation of attainment of agency goals and objectives in the agency's plan developed under subsection (a) of this section. The report shall be included as part of the annual report required by W.S. 9-2-1014(a).

(d) The management audit committee of the legislature, with the assistance of the legislative service office and the department of audit, may use the agency plans and annual statement of attainment as the basis for program evaluation and performance audits as authorized by law.

(e) Repealed by Laws 2018, ch. 99, § 2.

(f) The plan required under W.S. 28-1-115(a)(ii) may be reviewed by the management audit committee of the legislature and shall be reviewed by the management audit committee if:

(i) Required by the management council of the legislature; or

(ii) Otherwise required by law.

(g) For purposes of this section and W.S. 28-1-116, "state agency" means:

(i) Each separate department in the executive branch of government created under the authority of the Wyoming Government Reorganization Act of 1989, W.S. 9-2-1701 et seq.;

(ii) Offices of the five (5) elected state officials and the attorney general; and

(iii) Each agency designated as a separate operating agency under W.S. 9-2-1704(d).