Another budget breakdown

If you’ve ever wondered why we fret when lawmakers rely on budget bills to advance controversial policy measures the reason has been on display this week at the State House, as a close-out budget bill stalled in part, the State House News Service reports, over a disagreement between the House and Senate over gun regulations.

Fiscal year 2017 ended back on July 31. But as they do each year, lawmakers had work left to do to tie up financial loose ends. By law, the state comptroller must file a year-end financial report by Oct. 31 but he was unable to do so because a close-out budget hadn’t been finalized.

One area of disagreement between the House and Senate, the News Service reports, is over a ban on so-called bump stocks. The two branches have passed differing versions of the ban on the devices, which increase a gun’s firing capacity and were marked for a ban after the mass killing in Las Vegas.

There are other disagreements, including whether the budget should include new spending for the current fiscal year. The delay has inspired finger-pointing on both sides. But this all could have been avoided had lawmakers simply dealt with it earlier — and had they avoided using a budget bill to debate gun policy.

Lawmakers vacationed all of August and into September. In a few weeks they’ll break again until January. A close-out budget is one of their most basic responsibilities and failing to pass one in a timely way means they aren’t doing their “full-time” job.