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Legislative counsel briefs JFAC on 'power of the purse,' appropriation limits and related statutes
Summary
Legislative legal counsel Elizabeth Bowen told the committee that the state's power to appropriate is a plenary legislative power limited only by the state and federal constitutions, summarized key constitutional limits, item‑veto rules and statutes that define JFAC duties and appropriation law.
Elizabeth Bowen, legislative legal counsel with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that the legislature's appropriation power stems from the constitutional separation of powers and that appropriation acts are statutes subject to constitutional constraints and the governor's item veto.
Bowen summarized the legal framework: "Money can be withdrawn from the state treasury only pursuant to an appropriation made by law," she said, citing Article 7, Section 13 of the Idaho Constitution as the controlling requirement.…
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