Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Appropriations Committee

Texas Legislature's House Appropriations Committee was first provided for in the House Rules on the opening day of the 29th Legislature in 1905. Rule VII included Appropriations among the standing committees of the House with jurisdiction over all bills appropriating moneys out of the State Treasury for maintenance of State Government. The creation of the committee was a response to Governor S.W.T. Lanham's executive message of May 1, 1903, at the close of the First Called Session of the 28th Legislature, requesting both houses to implement a systematic itemization of appropriations wherever possible. The first Appropriations Committee had 21 members and was appointed on January 12, 1905. The Committee continued as one of the standing committees of the Texas House of Representatives, the number of its members has remained in the 20's, and the Committee's charge has remained the same.

By 2000, the committee had 27 members, with specific jurisdiction over: all bills and resolutions appropriating money from the state treasury; all bills and resolutions containing provisions resulting in automatic allocation of funds from the state treasuty; all bills and resolutions diverting funds from the state treasury or preventing funds from going in that otherwise would be placed in the state treasury; and all matters pertaining to claims and accounts filed with the legislature against the state unless jurisdiction over those bills and resolutions is specifically granted by these rules to some other standing committee. The appropriations committee may comment upon any bill or resolution containing a provision resulting in an automatic allocation of funds.

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