28-1-113. Joint meetings of legislative standing committees; introduction and passage of budget bill.

(a) The joint appropriations committee shall sit in open sessions while considering the budget and shall begin meetings not less than twenty (20) days prior to the convening of the budget session. The joint committee may cause the attendance of the heads or responsible representatives of the departments, institutions and all other agencies of the state to furnish information and answer questions as the joint committee requires.

(b) All persons interested in the estimates under consideration shall be admitted to the meetings and may be allowed the right to be heard. The governor, or his representatives, and members of the legislature have the right to sit at these public hearings and be heard on all matters coming before the joint committee.

(c) The joint committee shall cause the general appropriation bill or bills known as budget bills, to be introduced in whole or in part in the house of representatives or the senate, or both. When a budget bill has passed the house of origin, the bill shall be referred to the standing appropriations committee of the opposite house which shall meet and consider those amendments to the budget bill which were adopted by the house of origin and shall not propose other amendments to any original joint appropriations committee budget bill.

(d) To the extent not inconsistent with any enacted law or clear expression of legislative intent to the contrary, each agency's budget request as recommended by the governor to the joint appropriations interim committee, any other budgetary explanatory material submitted to the joint appropriations interim committee by the governor and the budget hearings before the joint appropriations interim committee shall guide the interpretation and implementation of appropriations and related language contained within the general appropriations bill or bills appropriating funds to be expended for the operation of a state agency, including programs, purposes and number of employees specified within each agency.