Stan Geiger

Mystery Money

So we have this "standstill" budget. The politicians say everybody gets the same money in the coming fiscal year as they got in this fiscal year.

That's easy enough to understand.

Meanwhile, the politicians say no money will be drawn from the Rainy Day Fund.

That's easy enough to understand.

Now comes the problem. The certified revenue figure coming into the legislative session was over $100 million less.

That's not so easy to understand.

How can the state government appropriate the same money from one year to the next---while abstaining from drawing on reserves---when there is over $100 million less in revenue?

From where does the hundred million come? Does it fall out of a tree?

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