House Appropriations Committee backs committee of conference to reconcile FY26 budget

The House Appropriations Committee on May 2 held a straw poll and registered affirmative roll-call responses to support forming a committee of conference to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the fiscal 2026 budget.

The committee chair said the Senate passed its version of the FY26 budget the previous day and “messaged it to the House,” and that the speaker would appoint conferees on the floor that morning. Committee members were told to review their portfolio items and flag any concerns early in the process: “If there are things that you like or don't like in the budget in your portfolio, you need to let me know,” the chair said.

Why it matters: a committee of conference is the formal mechanism for members of the two chambers to negotiate and produce a single bill for final passage. Committee members were told to expect the speaker’s announcement of conferees and that the first conference meeting was likely the same afternoon.

During the session members discussed process details rather than policy specifics. Committee staff said members will receive a “gray out sheet” that shows which budget differences remain unresolved and which items have been settled. The chair said meetings could move quickly and may occur “at least twice a day.” Members were asked to notify the chair of substantive concerns by Monday or, at the latest, Tuesday morning so staff can prepare.

The committee held a roll call during the straw poll. The transcript records the following members responding “yes” when called: Representative Loomley; Representative Dickinson; Representative Harrison; Representative Kosenska; Representative Roche; Representative Roecky; Representative Nigro; Representative Squirrel; Representative Stevens; Representative Yacoboni; and Representative Shah. The motion as conducted in the meeting was a straw poll to support forming the committee of conference; no formal mover/second was recorded in the transcript and no formal roll-call vote on the final conference membership was recorded in this session.

Logistics discussed: the committee will meet in Room 10 (members may attend in person or watch a live stream), staff indicated the gray-out sheets will be posted online when available, and the chair said the House and Senate schedules are coordinated (the Senate was expected to meet at 11:30 that day). A member asked for an opportunity to speak with conferees about the Senate’s decision to move certain rate increases to November; that request was raised during the meeting but no action on the request was taken during the session.

The committee also noted it might receive additional bills that do not affect the budget and therefore are not urgent for the conference process. The speaker’s formal announcement of conferees and any subsequent committee meeting agendas and documents will determine the next concrete actions.