Senate Appropriations Committee holds orientation, sets schedule and staff roles

Chairman Beckettall called the Senate Appropriations Committee to order, confirmed a quorum and reviewed the committee’s organization and near-term schedule for budget work.

The meeting served as an orientation for returning and new committee members and introduced the legislative fiscal staff who will support the committee this session. The chairman said the committee will hear major agency budget presentations in the first half of the session, including transportation, higher education and corrections, and will receive a Department of Mineral Resources update on oil revenues to inform revenue projections.

The chairman listed returning and new members and introduced committee staff, asking division chairs to coordinate scheduling with fiscal staff. He instructed division chairs to set next‑week schedules by Thursday mornings so agendas can be publicly published the following Friday. He also noted full‑committee joint hearings with the House in mid‑January to receive an S&P Global revenue forecast and the governor’s budget recommendations, which will set revenue and spending parameters before crossover.

Committee procedures and logistics were reviewed: seating arrangements, where divisions will meet (Sakakawea room for E&E, Red River room for government ops), and the expectation that division chairs work with staff to keep hearings and amendments organized. The chairman requested that members give advance notice of major amendments so hearings can be publicized and the public can comment.

The orientation concluded with the chairman distributing a written handout of his remarks and asking members to contact committee leadership or staff with questions.

The agenda then moved to presentations by Legislative Council fiscal staff and the Office of Management and Budget, scheduled for the morning and afternoon sessions.