Most years, it is an honor to be named to the House Finance Committee, the 16-member body responsible for crafting the state’s budget.

This year, that honor is dubious at best. As they struggle to fix the state’s crippling budget problems, Finance Committee members will face hours upon hours of hearings that stretch late into the night and demand tough decisions.

But key House lawmakers have followed through on a promise to make new committee appointments within the first week of the session, starting the hard work now, not later.

Speaker William J. Murphy last week named six new members to the Finance Committee, filling seats left vacant by retirements or November defeats. The new members will have little time to settle in. Their first committee hearing will be held this afternoon.

The new members are David Caprio, D-Narragansett; Laurence Ehrhardt, R-North Kingstown; Joanne Giannini, D-Providence; Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston; Helio Melo, D-East Providence, and Agostinho Silva, D-Central Falls.

At this point, there are only two Republicans on the budget-writing committee. Last year, there were three. The explanation from House spokesman Larry Berman: defections and elections defeats reduced the House GOP ranks from 14 members when the 2007-08 session began to the current 6 members.

Getting off to an unusually fast start for the first year of the new two-year session, the House Finance Committee will hold an open staff briefing on Governor Carcieri’s $357-million deficit-avoidance plan when the House completes its business tomorrow.

For budget buffs, the Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College will hold a “2009 Budget Rhode Map Conference” on Thursday to help people “become informed participants in [the] state budget debate.”

Speakers will include Gary Sasse, director of the state Department of Revenue; Jeff Lynch, of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy; former state Senate fiscal adviser Russell Dannecker, and the Poverty Institute’s cofounder and policy director, Linda Katz. The 9 a.m.-to-1 p.m. conference at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, Cranston, begins with an 8:30 a.m. registration.

Senate chairmanships

The new Senate committee roster has also fallen into place with a number of new committee chairmen.

Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, will head the Corporations Committee, which controls key legislation regarding state business regulations.

Miller, who owns two downtown Providence restaurants, Trinity Brewhouse and Local 121, succeeds Sen. William A. Walaska, D-Warwick, who mounted a short-lived challenge to M. Teresa Paiva Weed’s successful bid to become the state’s first female Senate president.

Late Friday, Paiva Weed confirmed the other new Senate committee chairmen. They include self-employed financial consultant Daniel DaPonte, D-East Providence, as the previously announced new chairman of the Finance Committee. Plumber Paul W. Fogarty, D-Glocester, is replacing new Senate Majority Leader Daniel Connors at the helm of the Labor Committee; lawyer Christopher B. Maselli, D-Johnston, is Connors’ replacement as Rules Committee chairman; and South Kingstown school speech pathologist Hanna M. Gallo, D-Cranston, will replace the defeated Daniel Issa at the helm of the Education Committee.

Those reappointed to their chairmanships include Michael J. McCaffrey, Judiciary; J. Michael Lenihan, Government Oversight; John J. Tassoni, Housing; Maryellen Goodwin, Constitutional & Regulatory Issues, and V. Susan Sosnowski, Senate Environment & Energy.

The tab for bad news

It turns out taxpayers will pay for the televised speech last Wednesday in which Governor Carcieri outlined his plans for raising new revenues and cutting state spending to plug a potential $357-million current-year deficit.

The governor’s spokeswoman, Amy Kempe, said the cameras and other audio-visual equipment were provided by the Warwick-based Bogh AV Productions.

She said the final invoice has not arrived, but expectations are it will come in “below $2,000.” Whatever it is, she said it will be charged to the governor’s budget.

Brady rejoins Senate staff

And for true political junkies, here are some of the outtakes from last Tuesday’s opening day ceremonies for the 2009-10 General Assembly:

For starters, Joseph Brady, a chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Paul Kelly, returned to the Senate’s employ as the $87,764-a-year “secretary of the Senate” after a sojourn in the House as a $76,244-a-year director of constituent services.

Brady was tapped by new Senate President Paiva Weed’s leadership team to replace Raymond “Chip” Hoyas, who has doubled over the years as a deputy chief of staff and one-time Pawtucket city councilman.

A Senate spokesman said Hoyas resigned a week before the session began.

Brady is a former deputy chief of staff for former Senate Majority Leader David Carlin; chief of constituent services for former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bevilacqua, chief of staff for Kelly; administrative assistant to former Department of Transportation Director William Ankner, and policy analyst for the Governor’s Office on Highway Safety under Governor Carcieri.

Doorkeeper DiPaolo is 102

At age 102 — and yes, you read that right — Frank DiPaolo has a new job title at the State House: head doorkeeper.

In actuality, Ralph Fargnoli — a cousin by marriage of the former Providence City Council president with the same last name — is the $50-per-session head doorman.

For DiPaolo the title is what House spokesman Larry Berman described as ceremonial. He said DiPaolo, who still drives himself to the State House each day and has a designated handicapped-parking spot, “will continue to earn $25 per session as do all the doormen.”

As the full House sang a belated “Happy Birthday” to him on Wednesday, DiPaolo sang along and then said: “I have been here 31 years. What else can I say?”

DiPaolo used to own the Castle Spa, which Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a former state legislator, frequented as a Providence College student. Over the years, he remained a Kennedy friend and mentor.

Ex-rival lauds Murphy

Guess who gave one of the nominating speeches for West Warwick Democrat Murphy’s reelection as House speaker?

The answer: a former rival for the speakership, John DeSimone, who had nothing but the nicest things to say about him, giving him credit — for example — for the reelection of almost every Democratic House member who ran for reelection.

DeSimone, D-Providence, was also one of the legislators chosen by Murphy to escort Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis to the rostrum to swear in the lawmakers on opening day.

DeSimone has kept a low profile since a federal immigration sweep resulted in the arrest at state courthouses of janitors employed by TriState Enterprises. The Carcieri administration subsequently canceled all its contracts with the company.

One of DeSimone’s brothers owns the company. His other brother — and law partner — has represented TriState in legal matters.

Exodus from bench?

Here’s a new number to chew on while contemplating the possible impact of Governor Carcieri’s attempt to terminate the guaranteed 3 percent annual pension hikes provided judges — and other public employees — who do not retire by April 1.

One-third of the state’s judges — 19 out of the 60 currently sitting — are eligible to retire.

The state judiciary is already down six judges with one opening each in the Supreme Court and Superior Court, and two each on the Family Court and District Court.

cneedham@projo.com