The Free State Legislature comprises of committees, namely the Portfolio Committees and Household Committees. Portfolio Committees are committees charged with conducting in-depth oversight over the Executive Council. These committees may call before it Members of the Executive Council [MEC’s] and heads of departments [HOD’s] to provide the necessary information to the committees. In essence, the MEC’s and HOD’s may be required to provide information on service delivery within their various departments. After collating of the necessary information, the committees would then table a report on their findings in the plenary of the House. It should be noted that the report of committees may be adopted or rejected by the plenary of the House.

The committees of the Legislature occasionally undertake site-visits to various areas in the Free State province to determine the level of service delivery by departments; the committees may also conduct public hearings across the province to listen to concerns raised by inhabitants of the province or to allow inhabitants to make inputs on legislation to be promulgated.

The Office of the Chairperson of chairpersons of committees is responsible for coordination of Committees of the Legislature. It should be noted that each portfolio and household committee has a chairperson who is responsible for convening and presiding over meetings of such committees.

The Chairperson of chairpersons of committees presides over meetings of the Chairpersons’ Panel. The Panel is responsible to discuss issues emanating from the various committees as well as the programme of the Legislature. Furthermore, the Chairperson of chairpersons of committees represents the Free State Legislature in the South African Legislatures Chairpersons Forum. The remit of the forum is to discuss issues related to the operations and systems of committees of the legislatures.