In the legislative process called "conference committee," legislators from the House and Senate are appointed to a joint committee to hash out differences in the budgets passed by the respective bodies.

On Sunday, the Conference Committee waded into "free conference" zone, which is when they start adding things to the budget that have not been passed by either body.

But the Conference Committee does not have free conference powers; instead, it has limited conference powers.

At issue is a major hole in the existing year's budget, caused by a significant drop in the price of oil. The budget passed last year by the Legislature was based on $78 a barrel oil, but oil is now down in the $67 a barrel range, and the Legislature needs to backfill this year's budget with supplemental money -- about $180 million. If they don't, then the governor will have to find cuts between now and the start of the new fiscal year, July 1.

In negotiations on Sunday, the committee decided to add in a draw on the Constitutional Budget Reserve fund, and if that fails to get the needed votes in the House and Senate, then the budget will take $100 million from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, and the Higher Education fund. That's new lawmaking, which is not allowed in conference committee.

It's unclear if the Conference Committee members are aware that they have violated the rules of the Legislature by adding things to the budget, as opposed to the limited conference rules of having to stay within established brackets.

The conference committee closed out their work and will have the budget on the desks of legislators by Monday, so that they can have it for 24 hours before voting on it.