State operating budget $5 billion in excess

Everybody associates March 17 with St. Patrick’s Day, that one holiday in which we are all encouraged to wear green. Around the Capitol last week, March 17 brought a different meaning of "green."

That morning, the state Economic Revenue and Forecast Council announced the first state-revenue forecast for this year showed a surprisingly large increase of $3.3 billion through the 2021-23 budget cycle and $5.2 billion over the next four years.

It is the largest positive quarterly forecast change on record. Since the state operating budget must balance over four years, legislative budget writers no...