JFAC staff train members on SharePoint, session record and the committee’s hearing schedule

Boise — Keith Bybee, division manager for the Legislative Services Office budget and policy team, demonstrated the SharePoint site and the public session record to members of the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 8 and walked through the committee’s hearing schedule for the upcoming weeks.

Bybee showed members how the SharePoint repository mirrors OneDrive conventions, how staff organized a new naming convention to avoid duplicate files, and how members should download files to their local device to enable PDF markups and note taking. “SharePoint mirrors the OneDrive that all of the House uses to submit when you're reviewing an RS,” Bybee told the committee, explaining the site’s structure and file conventions.

Why it matters: Meeting documents, slide decks, video and audio are centralized in SharePoint and the session record. Proper use reduces printing, speeds committee work and gives both members and the public access to the same materials ahead of hearings.

Key practical guidance

- Download to edit: Bybee said if members simply open a file in SharePoint it will be in read‑only mode; members must download the file to make notes. “If you just click on the file itself, you won't be able to make your notes on that file,” he said. - Naming convention: Files are organized by agency with a five-digit code and suffixes for analyst (A) and agency (B) presentations so related documents appear together. - Session record and public access: The session record (legislature.idaho.gov → Legislative Services → Budget and Policy → session record by agency) contains video, audio and documents for each day so the public and members can review hearings after the fact. - Devices and printing: Staff offered iPads and Surface Pros for members who prefer electronic annotation and said paper copies of the approximately 850‑page budget book remain available on request.

Hearing schedule and work groups

Bybee reviewed the committee’s planned sequence of work: the first week is orientation and the governor’s presentation; the committee will then begin program maintenance budgets followed by agency presentations and workgroup sessions. Committee meeting hours were described as roughly 8:00–9:30 a.m., with work groups meeting after the main JFAC session for deeper review of assigned agencies. Bybee noted a new addition: a morning set aside to review agencies’ replacement items so members can examine items that agencies treat as replacements rather than enhancements.

Staff introductions and analyst assignments

Bybee also introduced analysts who will staff JFAC and the committee’s work groups, including deputy manager Jared Tetreault and a new cohort of analysts assigned to education, public safety, transportation and other portfolios. The introductions were positioned as an opportunity for members to identify the staff they will be working with as the committee divides into work groups.

Next steps

Bybee and other staff offered one‑on‑one help for members who need assistance setting up SharePoint, downloading the budget book or configuring committee iPads. He encouraged members to download materials ahead of hearings and to contact staff for training if needed.

Ending

Committee leaders told members they will reconvene daily and urged them to work with assigned analysts in the coming days as the committee begins agency hearings and budget setting.