Oh, come on. We’ve been there, rejected that. Let’s stop wasting time in Charleston and make the tough decisions needed to enact a new state budget.

After weeks of controversy and frustration, West Virginia legislators returned to the Capitol Monday for another attempt at passing a state budget, along with a package of taxes to support it.

Del. Cindy Frich, R-Morgantown, immediately threw a monkey wrench into the proceedings. She introduced a bill aimed at eliminating state subsidies for dog racing. That would provide another $15 million to balance the budget, Frich argued.

Sound familiar? It should.

Legislators approved a similar bill during their regular session earlier this year. After hearing complaints from local officials about how that would affect this area, because of the greyhound racetrack and casino on Wheeling Island, Gov. Jim Justice made a special trip to our city to veto the measure.

Regardless of how one feels about greyhound — or, for that matter, thoroughbred racehorse — subsidies, the issue would appear to be dead. Justice vetoed a bill similar or identical to Frich’s once. There is no reason to believe he would sign it the second time around.

Debating the bill would take time lawmakers and the governor should be devoting to the budget itself.

Time is running short for legislators and the governor to agree on a new budget. Though the new fiscal year does not begin until July 1, having a budget in place within about two weeks is necessary to avoid serious problems both in Charleston and at the local level.

Clearly, then, Frich’s bill — and any other distraction from the business at hand — ought to be shelved by legislators. There are controversies enough to be resolved without returning to one that already has been settled.