Opinion ID: 2117122
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Presidential Primary Expenses

Text: Since the presidential primary was established in 1986, presidential primary expenses have been handled through special appropriation bills on an emergency basis. These special appropriations have been passed by the legislature by a two-thirds vote. As we stated in Jorgenson, however, [i]t is of no great significance that a particular appropriation has never been included in a General Appropriation Bill in the past as precedent alone does not prove or disprove the existence of legislative power to do so. Jorgenson at 871. Respondents argue that previous presidential primary appropriations were passed by the two-thirds vote solely because of the emergency clause contained within them. This legislation (SB 267) was originally introduced to reimburse counties for the 1992 presidential primary. It also contained an emergency clause but failed to pass by a two-thirds vote. Later, it was hoghoused into SB 62, which was identical to SB 267 except it appropriated $100,000 less than SB 267. SB 62 passed by two-thirds vote. The General Appropriation Bill was then amended to include $100,000 from the general fund to the secretary of state, to be distributed to the counties as payment for costs associated with the presidential primary. Petitioners argue that the same subject (the duty to reimburse counties for the presidential primary) cannot be both a general and a special appropriation. Respondents reply that the legislature decided to address these expenses on an annual basis, commencing in fiscal year 1993, rather than responding on an emergency basis every four years after the expenses have been incurred. As Petitioners note, however, the $100,000.00 allocation was placed into the secretary of state's general operating fund. SDCL 4-8-19 states: All unexpended annual appropriations at the end of the fiscal year covered by the general appropriations act which have not been contractually obligated in writing and approved by the commissioner of finance and management prior to the end of the fiscal year, shall lapse and cease to be available, and shall revert to the fund from which appropriated. (Emphasis added.) Therefore, pursuant to SDCL 4-8-19, at the end of fiscal year 1992, the unexpended $100,000.00 would revert to the general fund and would not be available to reimburse the state for expenses incurred in future primaries. Under art. XII, § 2 of the state constitution, the General Appropriation Bill shall only embrace ordinary expenses of the three government branches, current expenses of state institutions, interest on the public debt and for common schools. SDCL 12-6-4.2 provides: The State shall reimburse each county for any costs incurred as a result of any presidential primary election held on the last Tuesday in February. (Emphasis added.) Respondents argue that this statute makes this expenditure a state expenditure. A program intended to reimburse counties for presidential primary expenses, however, does not constitute an ordinary expense of any branch of the government. Nor does a county expense become a state expense simply by requiring it to be paid to the counties by the secretary of state. Additionally, this expenditure does not fit within the definition of a current expense of a state institution because a county is not a state institution. Therefore, this expenditure comes within the phrase all other appropriations which requires a two-thirds vote of all the members of each branch of the Legislature. In conclusion, the invalidity of these appropriations does not render the entire General Appropriation Bill void or affect the validity or invalidity of the remaining appropriations as the various appropriated funds are severable in nature. Jorgenson, 136 N.W.2d at 878. A permanent writ of prohibition will be issued. MILLER, C.J., and HENDERSON, J., concur. WUEST, J., concurs specially. AMUNDSON, J., concurs in part and dissents in part.