Appropriations Committee introduces staff, outlines schedule and rules ahead of governor—s budget

Chair Barnes opened the session of the Appropriations Committee to introduce committee and Department of Legislative Services staff, review procedural guidelines and preview the budget schedule ahead of the governor—s budget release.

The meeting centered on staffing and process. Ryan Bishop, director of the Office of Policy Analysis (OPA) for the Department of Legislative Services, thanked members and described OPA—s role supporting the committee during the session. "My door is always open," Bishop said, offering assistance to members as the committee prepares for a challenging budget cycle.

The committee heard from David Propert, fiscal coordinator for OPA, who outlined the budget management team and introduced managers and new analysts. Propert named Matthew Klein as capital budget manager; Emily Haskell, who will be on family leave for…