By Denise Ross

The SD Legislature’s appropriations committee is meeting today in the Capitol to try to get answers about money the Rounds administration has spent on a 3rd year of the school laptop program - a program lawmakers voted months ago not to fund for a 3rd year.

There’s a bit from the Argus’s Q&A set up for today’s meeting that reminded me of an earlier discussion - or more like mischevious speculation - I’d heard about the possibilities for a special session this year.

Q: What’s the likely outcome?

A: Apa says the interim committee has limited authority to take actions the full Legislature would better handle. Still, he says, putting a spotlight on the money trail sets the stage for close scrutiny of both the laptop program and other Rounds’ budget issues during the 2009 session.

Here’s my question: Are legislators, collectively, irate enough about Rounds’ series of policy actions in which he has ignored the Legislature’s formal actions that they would get together to assert their power as an equal branch of government?

My sense is that they probably won’t, not because some legislator’s don’t really, really want to, but because critical mass hasn’t quite been reached. However, I also sense that if the administration does not provide clear, direct answers to questions - if officials attempt to cover up the money trail - that critical mass might not be too far away.

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