§ 21-16-201 — Ratification

The legislature of the state of Wyoming hereby approves,
ratifies and adopts the "Western Regional Higher Education
Compact", approved by the western governors conference meeting
at Denver, Colorado on November 10, 1950, which compact is as
follows:
Article I
Whereas, the future of this nation and of the western states is
dependent upon the quality of the education of its youth; and
Whereas, many of the western states individually do not have
sufficient numbers of potential students to warrant the
establishment and maintenance within their borders of adequate
facilities in all of the essential fields of technical,
professional, and graduate training, nor do all of the states
have the financial ability to furnish within their borders
institutions capable of providing acceptable standards of
training in all of the fields mentioned above; and
Whereas, it is believed that the western states, or groups of
such states within the region, cooperatively can provide
acceptable and efficient educational facilities to meet the
needs of the region and of the students thereof:
Now, therefore, the states of Arizona, California, Colorado,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington,
and Wyoming, and the territories of Alaska and Hawaii do hereby
covenant and agree as follows:
Article II
Each of the compacting states and territories pledges to each of
the other compacting states and territories faithful cooperation
in carrying out all the purposes of this compact.
Article III
The compacting states and territories hereby create the western
interstate commission for higher education, hereinafter called
the commission. Said commission shall be a body corporate of
each compacting state and territory and an agency thereof. The
commission shall have all the powers and duties set forth
herein, including the power to sue and be sued, and such
additional powers as may be conferred upon it by subsequent
action of the respective legislatures of the compacting states
and territories.
Article IV
(a) The commission shall consist of three (3) resident
members from each compacting state or territory. At all times
one (1) commissioner from each compacting state or territory
shall be an educator engaged in the field of higher education in
the state or territory for which he is appointed.
(b) The commissioners from each state and territory shall
be appointed by the governor thereof as provided by law in such
state or territory. Any commissioner may be removed or
suspended from office as provided by law of the state or
territory from which he shall have been appointed. The terms of
each commissioner shall be four (4) years; provided however that
the first three (3) commissioners shall be appointed as follows:
one (1) for two (2) years, one (1) for three (3) years, and one
(1) for four (4) years. Each commissioner shall hold office
until his successor shall be appointed and qualified. If any
office becomes vacant for any reason, the governor shall appoint
a commissioner to fill the office for the remainder of the
unexpired term.
Article V
(a) Any business transacted at any meeting of the
commission must be by affirmative vote of a majority of the
whole number of compacting states and territories.
(b) One (1) or more commissioners from a majority of the
compacting states and territories shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business.
(c) Each compacting state and territory represented at any
meeting of the commission is entitled to one (1) vote.
Article VI
(a) The commission shall elect from its number a chairman
and a vice chairman, and may appoint, and at its pleasure
dismiss or remove, such officers, agents, and employees as may
be required to carry out the purpose of this compact; and shall
fix and determine their duties, qualifications and compensation,
having due regard for the importance of the responsibilities
involved.
(b) The commissioners shall serve without compensation,
but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses
from the funds of the commission.
Article VII
(a) The commission shall adopt a seal and bylaws and shall
adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for its management
and control.
(b) The commission may elect such committees as it deems
necessary for the carrying out of its functions.
(c) The commission shall establish and maintain an office
within one (1) of the compacting states for the transaction of
its business and may meet at any time but in any event must meet
at least once a year. The chairmen may call such additional
meetings and upon the request of a majority of the commissioners
of three (3) or more compacting states or territories shall call
additional meetings.
(d) The commission shall submit a budget to the governor
of each compacting state and territory at such time and for such
period as may be required.
(e) The commission shall, after negotiations with
interested institutions, determine the cost of providing the
facilities for graduate and professional education for use in
its contractual agreements throughout the region.
(f) On or before the fifteenth day of January of each
year, the commission shall submit to the governors and
legislatures of the compacting states and territories a report
of its activities for the preceding calendar year.
(g) The commission shall keep accurate books of account,
showing in full its receipts and disbursements, and said books
of account shall be open at any reasonable time for inspection
by the governor of any compacting state or territory or his
designated representative. The commission shall not be subject
to the audit and accounting procedure of any of the compacting
states or territories. The commission shall provide for an
independent annual audit.
Article VIII
(a) It shall be the duty of the commission to enter into
such contractual agreements with any institutions in the region
offering graduate or professional education and with any of the
compacting states or territories as may be required in the
judgment of the commission to provide adequate services and
facilities of graduate and professional education for the
citizens of the respective compacting states or territories.
The commission shall first endeavor to provide adequate services
and facilities in the fields of dentistry, medicine, public
health, and veterinary medicine, and may undertake similar
activities in other professional and graduate fields.
(b) For this purpose the commission may enter into
contractual agreements:
(i) With the governing authority of any educational
institution in the region, or with any compacting state or
territory, to provide such graduate or professional educational
services upon terms and conditions to be agreed upon between
contracting parties; and
(ii) With the governing authority of any educational
institution in the region or with any compacting state or
territory to assist in the placement of graduate or professional
students in educational institutions in the region providing the
desired services and facilities, upon such terms and conditions
as the commission may prescribe.
(c) It shall be the duty of the commission to undertake
studies of needs for professional and graduate educational
facilities in the region, the resources for meeting such needs,
and the long-range effects of the compact on higher education;
and from time to time to prepare comprehensive reports on such
research for presentation to the western governor's conference
and to the legislatures of the compacting states and
territories. In conducting such studies the commission may
confer with any national or regional planning body which may be
established. The commission shall draft and recommend to the
governors of the various compacting states and territories,
uniform legislation dealing with problems of higher education in
the region.
(d) For the purposes of this compact the word "region"
shall be construed to mean the geographical limits of the
several compacting states and territories.
Article IX
The operating costs of the commission shall be apportioned
equally among the compacting states and territories.
Article X
This compact shall become operative and binding immediately as
to those states and territories adopting it whenever five (5) or
more of the states or territories of Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii have duly adopted it
prior to July 1, 1953. This compact shall become effective as
to any additional states or territories adopting thereafter at
the time of such adoption.
Article XI
This compact may be terminated at any time by consent of a
majority of the compacting states or territories. Consent shall
be manifested by passage and signature in the usual manner of
legislation expressing such consent by the legislature and
governor of such terminating state. Any state or territory may
at any time withdraw from this compact by means of appropriate
legislation to that end. Such withdrawal shall not become
effective until two (2) years after written notice thereof by
the governor of the withdrawing state or territory accompanied
by a certified copy of the requisite legislative action as
received by the commission. Such withdrawal shall not relieve
the withdrawing state or territory from its obligation hereunder
accruing prior to the effective date of withdrawal. The
withdrawing state or territory may rescind its action of
withdrawal at any time within the two (2) year period.
Thereafter, the withdrawing state or territory may be reinstated
by application to and the approval by a majority vote of the
commission.
Article XII
(a) If any compacting state or territory shall at any time
default in the performance of any of its obligations assumed or
imposed in accordance with the provisions of this compact, all
rights, privileges and benefits conferred by this compact or
agreements hereunder shall be suspended from the effective date
of such default as fixed by the commission.
(b) Unless such default shall be remedied within a period
of two (2) years following the effective date of such default,
this compact may be terminated with respect to such defaulting
state or territory by affirmative vote of three-fourths of the
other member states or territories.
(c) Any such defaulting state may be reinstated by:
(i) Performing all acts and obligations upon which it
has heretofore defaulted; and
(ii) Application to and the approval by a majority
vote of the commission.