Interim Finance Committee


The current Interim Finance Committee page may be found in the Interim Committee application (under the Committees tab).

In 1969, the Legislature created the Interim Finance Committee to function within the Legislative Counsel Bureau between sessions and administer a contingency fund. This fund was set up to provide provisional funds for state agencies when the Legislature is not in session. To obtain funds, agencies must submit their requests to the State Board of Examiners for review and recommendation. If the board finds sufficient justification for the requests submitted to it, it must make a recommendation to the Interim Finance Committee by transmitting it to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, who is required to notify the Chairman of the Interim Finance Committee. Upon receiving the recommendation, the Chairman of the committee must call a meeting to act upon the agency requests. The Interim Finance Committee is not bound to follow the recommendation of the State Board of Examiners. The committee, by resolution, may allocate an amount for the purposes requested. In authorizing an allocation, the committee directs the State Controller to transfer the approved amount from the Contingency Fund Account to the appropriate agency account.

The Interim Finance Committee also reviews state agency requests to accept certain gifts and grants, to modify legislatively-approved budgets, and to reclassify state merit system positions in certain circumstances. Legislation approved by the 1979 Legislature requires that state agencies receive prior approval of the Interim Finance Committee before they:

  1. accept federal grants in excess of $150,000;
  2. accept gifts or donations of a monetary value over $20,000;
  3. accept gifts or grants that involve the hiring of new employees;
  4. amend legislatively-approved budgets in an amount more than $30,000, when considered with previous changes, or increase or decrease a budget category by the lesser of 10 percent or $75,000; or
  5. convert or reclassify a merit system position to another type of position when this conversion significantly changes the job scope or job duties of the position as budgeted by the Legislature.

In 1983, the Legislature passed legislation requiring the State Public Works Board to consult with the Interim Finance Committee before approving final plans for capital improvement projects, including new construction, major repair, and landscaping.

The Interim Finance Committee is composed of the members of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means from the preceding session. Chairmanship of the Interim Finance Committee alternates between immediate past chairmen of the two legislative committees. The term of the Chair terminates if a new Chair of the Committee on Finance or Committee on Ways and Means, as the case may be, is designated for the next regular session, in which case that person so designated serves as the Chair until the next session convenes. Membership on the committee terminates on the day next after the general election for any legislator who retires or is defeated for reelection. If the Speaker designate of the Assembly or the Majority Leader designate of the Senate designates members of the Ways and Means Committee or Finance Committee, as applicable, for the next regular session, the designated members become members of the Interim Finance Committee.

In voting on matters before the Interim Finance Committee, a vote is taken of the Senate and Assembly members separately. No action can be taken unless a majority of both groups votes in the affirmative.