The conference committee on Senate Bill 1, the General Appropriations Bill, met for the first time in the Senate Finance Room to begin resolving differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill, a presiding member said.

"The role of this committee is to resolve differences between the Senate and the House versions of Senate Bill 1, the General Appropriations Bill," the presiding member said, adding that adopting a budget is "the most important thing we do as a legislature" and that conferees would work "diligently over the next few weeks."

The presiding member, speaking after a clerk-conducted roll call established a quorum, announced the Senate-side conferees and their article assignments: Senator Schwartner for articles 1, 4 and 5; Senator Kolkhorst for article 2; Senator Creighton for article 3; and Senator Nichols for articles 6, 7 and 8.

Representative Bonin, who introduced the House delegation, said on the House side Vice Chair Gonzales would handle articles 1, 4 and 5; Representative Orr would handle article 2; Representative Kitzman article 3; and Representative Wally articles 6, 7 and 8. "So on our side, Vice Chair Gonzales will be working on articles 1, 4, and 5," Bonin said.

No formal votes were recorded at the meeting. The committee concluded by agreeing to recess to continue negotiations at the chair's call.

Members described the next several weeks as the working period to reconcile differences while staying within "constitutional and statutory spending limits," language the presiding member used to describe the committee's financial constraints. The meeting was procedural and focused on assigning conferees and setting the schedule rather than debating specific spending items.

The committee stood in recess subject to the call of the chair to allow conferees to continue detailed negotiations on their assigned articles.