Editorial: If you’re spending money, does it count as spending?

It is “appropriation,” as in money that the Legislature allows the state to spend.

In short, House members want to pay down some debts to stay within the old spending cap, or so they say. 

Edwards’ budget chief says the paying down of the debt is an appropriation, because you can’t pay something out of public funds without the authorization of an appropriations bill. Sounds pretty definite to us.

We don’t know how all this will end up, but we do know that it’s an election year. If the legislators and the governor don’t agree by June 8, the end of the session, then there will have to be a special session to pass a new budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.