revenue

Jewell says that high-schoolers with a high enough grade-point average and test scores are automatically given certain university-provided aid.

The state's unemployment rate dropped slightly in the fourth quarter to 4.1 percent, slightly higher than the national rate of 3.8 percent.

The report did note an increase in sales and use taxes mainly because of activity in the oil and gas sector.

Around 70 percent of the state's revenue comes from taxing minerals, leaving the state vulnerable to the boom-and-bust energy cycle.

Wyoming's public K-12 education system alone faces a more than $400 million deficit over the next two years.

State officials say the Wyoming's decision to switch to an online auctioning system may have played a role in increasing revenue.

A sale from earlier this month drew in 80 bidders and nearly $17 million after a weeklong online bidding war.

State general fund revenue estimates for the 2017-2018 biennium would be about 19 percent lower than 2013-2014.