Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee convenes, names leadership and staff for 2025 session

State Rep. Maria Horn, the House chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, convened the committee and introduced leadership, subcommittee chairs and committee staff during an organizational meeting that included member introductions and administrative housekeeping.

The committee chair identified Senator Fonfara as the Senate co-chair and opened the floor for brief remarks and introductions by returning and new members. Horn said, "I am State Rep. Maria Horn. I am the House Chair of the, Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, and we are hereby convened." She also told members, "So we will be doing that and we will adjourn in an hour at 11:00. Thank you." The meeting did not include substantive policy debate, formal motions, or votes.

Why it matters: The Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee reviews the state's revenue projections, budget proposals and bonding requests; its membership and staff assignments shape how those analyses and hearings will proceed through the session. Members used the organizational meeting to confirm leadership roles, note nonpartisan staff who will support the committee's work, and remind members that the schedule for upcoming meetings was not yet set.

Leadership and subcommittee assignments named during the meeting included House Chair Maria Horn and Senate Co-Chair Senator Fonfara. Representative Paletta was introduced as the new House ranking member. Representative Ron Napoli was named chair of the bonding subcommittee; Senator Miller was noted as the senate chair of the bonding subcommittee and Representative John Piscopo was introduced as the ranking member on bonding. Horn named Representative Moira Raider and Representative Savick Constantine as house vice chairs and listed several senate vice chairs who will serve with the committee.

Horn also introduced committee staff and nonpartisan agency liaisons who will support fiscal analysis: committee clerk Ash Northey and administrator Sam Clark; LCO attorneys Kumi Sato and Katrina Stratton; and Office of Fiscal Analysis staff including Michael Murphy, Bill Letterman, Chris Wetzel, Evelyn Wisniewski, Patrick Mellon, Eric Michael Gray and Claudia Rodriguez. Horn emphasized the committee's reliance on nonpartisan staff for fiscal work, saying she could not imagine operating with "partisan numbers."

Members introduced themselves in brief remarks that named the districts they represent and referenced their prior service on the committee or other relevant experience. Several members thanked staff and expressed interest in bipartisan work on the state budget and bonding priorities. No policy items were debated, and no formal action was taken during the portion of the meeting in the provided transcript.

Administrative notes from the meeting: the committee indicated that the date and time of the next formal meeting were "not specified"; Horn requested the meeting remain open for attendance for an additional hour and said the committee would adjourn at 11:00.

The meeting record in the transcript provided introductions, staff listings and scheduling remarks but did not include discussion of bills, motions, or votes.