§ 17242 Warrant Reimbursement Priority Rules

• •If the state doesn't have enough money left in its main account to pay for something, it can't just write a check for more than what's there.
• •The state has to first set aside money for the most important bills before paying other things.
• •If there isn't enough money, the payment gets put on hold until there is enough.

Imagine the state has $100 left in its bank account. It needs to pay $80 for schools and $30 for a road repair. But someone also asks for $50 to be paid back to them.

The state has to pay the $80 for schools first because that's more important. Then it pays the $30 for the road. There's no money left for the $50 payment, so that person has to wait until the state gets more money.