As a quick follow up to my post from May 19 about the lag in states requesting Recovery Act funds, that same day South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (whom I mentioned in my post) vetoed the state budget, essentially rejecting some $700 million in Recovery Act education funds. The next day, May 20, the state legislature overrode his veto, reinstating the budget, which requires that Sanford request the state's share of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF). In response to the override, Sanford filed suit in federal court, claiming that the legislature cannot force him to request the funds, citing the text of the Recovery Act.

It isn't clear who is going to win the lawsuit, and experts aren't even sure if federal court is the right place for the suit, but the whole saga is just fascinating. The affair has a great mix of federal issues, state politics, and presidential intrigue, and it's not often that you see a governor sue his own state's attorney general. Sadly, though, the suit does mean that it is going to be a while before the state sees all of its Recovery funding, and the SFSF funding deadline is July 1, adding more tension to the debate. In any case, the situation is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Image by Flickr user National Governors Association. Used under a Creative Commons license.