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Archive of Taxes & Budget on Monday May 05, 2008
Fiscal pressures lead some states to free inmates early
NEW YORK - Reversing decades of tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug offenders, many cash-strapped states are embracing a view once dismissed as dangerously naive: It costs far less to let some felons go free than to keep them locked up. Read More
Strapped governments revive pension bonds
Pension bonds are making a comeback, as states and cities from Alaska to Philadelphia bet they can use the proceeds to help fill deficits in their retirement funds and still generate a higher return than what they pay in interest. Read More
$66.2B budget will roll out Crist's health-insurance plan
The Florida Legislature skidded to the finish line of the 2008 session Friday, approving a $66.2 billion budget, help for children with autism, and a sweeping health-insurance plan sought by Gov. Charlie Crist. Read More
Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state. Read More
Former governor's railcar, property raise questions about tax structure
After leaving office more than one year ago, former Gov. Frank Murkowski has traveled the world, built a cabin in Wrangell and traveled some more. In March, he led a delegation to watch democracy in action while Taiwan elected a president. Read More
Budget battle brewing
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Another budget showdown may be coming soon between Gov. Palin and state lawmakers. Read More
Permanent Fund earns high praise in D.C. meeting
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund convened a meeting of 25 sovereign wealth funds visited Washington, D.C., last week to discuss the development of a voluntary set of investment guidelines for government-owned funds. Read More
Kohring's lawyer makes case for leniency
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Convicted former lawmaker Vic Kohring's lawyer, John Henry Browne, says eight months in jail would be a fair sentence. Read More
State revenues beat expectations, rise slightly in April
State revenues came in near target in April, beating the fiscal forecast by 2.4 percent, or $12.9 million, state fiscal officers reported Friday. Read More
Trauma system will be priority in session, Wills says
Funding a statewide trauma system that could cost $25 million will be a priority during the 2007 legislative session despite what is expected to be a tight budget cycle, the next House speaker said Friday. Read More
Blow dealt by rescission of work force training funds softened, Beebe says
With the help of Arkansas' congressional delegation, Gov. Mike Beebe said Friday he has found some relief to a $4.3 million rescission of federal funds already allocated for workforce training programs. Read More
States, feds allow assets used in crimes to be seized
State and federal laws allow law enforcement agencies to seize assets used in certain criminal enterprises and use the proceeds to fight crime. Read More
Governor's budget plan grows green staff
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's near-and-dear fight to make the state greener is adding a lot of new jobs to the state's already-in-the-red payroll. Read More
Mental health help hit by budget crunch
Hundreds of psychiatric patients will no longer receive personal therapy or casework. Sixteen low-income schools will lose on-site crisis-intervention services. Group homes for teens may see a vital county subsidy disappear. Read More
Fiddler plays the state worker blues
You can view this as enterprising entrepreneurialism -- or just a sign of hard times: A young guy with a fiddle has set up shop at various spots near the Capitol lately, scratching out tunes for passers-by. Next to the guy is an open fiddle case, with a sign in it that reads "Budget Crisis: Please Help." Read More
California faces huge upheaval
If demography is destiny, as 19th-century French philosopher Auguste Comte first proposed, California is destined to soon experience an economic and cultural tsunami of monumental proportions. This is the year the oldest of the post-World War II baby boomers turn 62 and can begin drawing Social Security benefits. That's expected to touch off a mass exodus from the state's labor force over the next two decades. Read More
Foster care cuts challenged
Two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law an eight-bill package designed to improve the lives of thousands of children in foster care. Now, Schwarzenegger is proposing a 10 percent across-the-board cut in state services because of a budget deficit he says may reach $20 billion. Read More
Atwater lawmaker targeted in recall draws wide support
MODESTO, Calif. - Donald Benart runs a business in Rialto, hundreds of miles from the Central California district of state Sen. Jeff Denham, and has never met the Republican lawmaker who represents this farming area. Read More
California lawmakers consider new sentencing laws
Lawmakers have revived a pair of bills to overhaul California's criminal sentencing laws, but majority Democrats are still wrangling over which approach to push. Read More
California parolees get a chance in community programs
California corrections officials are again diverting thousands of parole violators into community programs instead of sending them to prison, hoping this time the experiment doesn't fail. Read More
Fiscal fix to go to public
The author of a proposed state budget fix announced Sunday he's bypassing his Capitol critics and making his case directly to voters, in a move sure to ignite a fierce ballot battle over the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Read More
UConn criticized for cost of President's inauguration
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut welcomed its new president in style with fireworks, a festival and a ceremony last month, but the $170,000 cost of the inauguration, including $29,000 for invitations alone, is setting off some fireworks of its own among students. Read More
Transfer tax fund is shrinking
The realty transfer tax, a dwindling pot of money divided among Delaware's state, county and municipal governments, could still provide some cushion to pad the state's $200 million to $250 million budget shortfall. Read More
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist wrings success out of legislative session
With a sluggish economy's stranglehold on state finances, there should have been few winners at the 2008 legislative session. But Charlie Crist exits from his second session as Florida's governor with much of what he wanted. Read More
Tampa Bay area's legislative rewards small in lean budget year
Stopping lead-laced toys from being distributed and sold in Florida seemed like "an apple pie bill" to Sen. Charlie Justice. The Senate even passed it. Read More
'Pain' seen in session fallout
All eyes in the Capitol fixed on House Speaker Marco Rubio on Friday as he huddled with a handful of fellow representatives and the closing moments of the legislative session ticked away. Read More
Florida Senate sends $66.2 billion budget to governor
The Florida Senate Friday morning signed off on an austere $66.2 billion budget that carves deeply into school funding and an array of health-care programs as a result of the biggest one-year drop in revenues in state history. Read More
Winners and losers in the 2008 Florida Legislature
A list of legislation that passed in this year's regular session of the Florida Legislature, which ended Friday, from The Associated Press. Read More
Belt-tightening session comes to an end
Florida lawmakers ended their annual session Friday by approving a tight-fisted state budget and stitching together plans to provide modest health coverage to kids with autism, the working poor and small businesses. Read More
Florida governor praises budget, while Democrats grimace
As Gov. Charlie Crist praised the Legislature for its "great work" Friday night, his own human services secretary, Bob Butterworth, stood a few feet away and gave a very different critique of the 2008 session. Read More
Lawmakers OK health-care plan for uninsured
State legislators approved a plan to provide basic health insurance Friday for nearly 4 million Floridians who can't afford coverage, calling it "a giant step" toward protecting the poor and working poor. Read More
Rubio leaves mixed record
His last moments in power ticking away, House Speaker Marco Rubio kneaded his forehead with his hands and turned his back to the rest of the chamber. It had happened again. Read More
Governor Crist praises energy bill
Gov. Charlie Crist didn't get nearly everything he wanted. But he praised the expansive bill lawmakers did pass, legislation that could affect Floridians for decades to come. Read More
It came down to money -- and there wasn't enough
Republicans at the helm kept one eye on a fuel gauge that showed tax collections on fumes and another on the approaching storm of the November elections. The result was a $66.2-billion budget with more than $4 billion in spending cuts targeted largely at school children, the sick and the elderly. Read More
Why -- and how -- the ball on Central Florida's commuter-rail project was dropped
Central Florida's commuter-rail project failed in the Florida Legislature because its backers didn't heed a cardinal rule of politics: Know your enemy. Read More
Florida lawmakers lament lack of money
While the budget is the only thing lawmakers must do, they tackled other issues as well, ranging from deadly serious programs to expand insurance coverage of autism, the issue that brought the session to an emotional, last-minute climax to the seriously absurd: the short-lived ban against displaying bull genitalia on bumpers. Read More
Florida legislative session not kind to state workers
With the sluggish economy causing a crash in tax collections that forced lawmakers to lower state spending by more than $4 billion from last year, Big Bend legislators didn't expect Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal of a 2-percent merit-based pay raise to survive long in the session. It didn't. Read More
Necessity, not politics, ruled '08 session
A souring economy and a worrisome election year forced Florida's Republican-led Legislature to moderate its politics in the session that ended Friday because it had no other choice. Read More
Florida governor praises budget, while Democrats grimace
As Gov. Charlie Crist praised the Legislature for its "great work" Friday night, his own human services secretary, Bob Butterworth, stood a few feet away and gave a very different critique of the 2008 session. Read More
Kids' advocates praise adoption move
Child-welfare advocates Saturday praised a late move by the Florida Legislature to restore $7 million in subsidies to families that adopt foster children from the state. Read More
Stark Florida budget might be weapon
Schools and health and human-services programs may not be the only losers emerging from the 2008 Legislature. Outnumbered Democrats see the stark $66.2 billion state budget as a political weapon they plan to use in attempts to unseat many Republican legislators in the fall elections. Read More
Richardson vows to try to eliminate car taxes again
The General Assembly went home for the year a month ago but it was clear Saturday that House Speaker Glenn Richardson has not forgotten how the 2008 session ended. Read More
State shifting funds for disabled from institutions toward care within community
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- There was clearly so much wrong with the young man. The nurses at Central State Hospital said he was 16. He had a tube sticking out of his neck, and his arms were bent at unnatural angles. Read More
Corrections officials begin working on new prison plan
Iowa corrections officials are beginning to work on a $131 million maximum-security prison project in southeastern Iowa that won't begin housing prisoners until 2014. Read More
Iowa JEL representatives to attend tobacco company meeting
State officials are spending some of the state's anti-smoking money on a trip for five Iowa high schoolers and their adult mentor. Read More
IDOT to send 150 jobs out of Springfield to Downstate
The Illinois Department of Transportation is preparing to ship nearly 150 jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois, but officials say they haven't chosen the new location and don't know when the move will happen. Read More
IDOT Annex lease expired in July
The Illinois Department of Transportation's traffic safety division is in what is known as the IDOT Annex, near IDOT's main headquarters, the state-owned Hanley Building, on Dirksen Parkway. Read More
Rezko lawyer, witness bicker about cash, clout, 9/11
CHICAGO - Political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko's defense attorney and the government's last major witness bickered sharply about campaign cash, clout and even the Sept. 11 attacks Friday as prosecutors prepared to rest their case after eight weeks. Read More
Bomke denounces IDOT move as 'absurd'
The southern Illinois city of Benton, apparently the leading candidate to become the new home of the Illinois Department of Transportation?s division of traffic safety, has no building that would accommodate the agency, according to Benton Mayor Gary Kraft. Read More
Illinois budget in a hole, next fiscal plan in flux
Now that Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich has fended off an effort to allow him to be recalled from office, his administration is turning to another feud the governor historically has found himself engaged in with lawmakers: the state budget. Read More
Blagojevich aide owed IRS $21,548 when hired
One of Gov. Blagojevich's highest-ranking aides faced a sizable tax problem when he hired her in 2003 -- and when he promoted her almost four years later. Read More
Democrats work to sway voters in race for governor
Democrat Jill Long Thompson spoke of suspending the state sales tax on gasoline while her rival in the gubernatorial primary, Jim Schellinger, promised to restore collective bargaining for state employees. Read More
Schellinger, Long Thompson trade jabs over their TV ads
One features grainy, washed-out images of Jim Schellinger and tells viewers he opposes cutting gasoline taxes and that he favored raising property taxes to build the "expensive schools" he designed as an architect. Read More
Bigger IU budget to benefit faculty
Faculty salaries should rise after the Indiana University trustees approved a $2.6 billion budget that includes a 7.2 percent increases. Read More
Clinton, Obama keep up gas tax battle
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton took their fight over gas price relief to the morning talk shows today as they braced for the crucial Indiana and North Carolina primaries. Read More
Dog track ends talks with lottery regulators
FRONTENAC, Kan. - The owner of Camptown Greyhound Park has ended negotiations with the Kansas Lottery that would reopen the racetrack with slot machines, the Lottery Commission said. Read More
Kansas Capitol Notebook - college's foundation comes in for criticism
Rep. Ben Hodge of Overland Park has some misgivings about the 113-member, nonprofit Johnson County Community College Foundation. Read More
Higher education funding off the table
Higher education officials Friday were upset about a budget amendment that essentially removed the possibility of post-secondary schools getting any additional funding during the wrap-up session. Read More
Medical funds added to budget
House lawmakers may have found an additional $8.6 million to help train doctors in Wichita -- though not how people originally envisioned. Read More
Jittery lawmakers slash millions from catch-all bill
As Kansas lawmakers work toward final adjournment, Senate leaders are getting nervous about the economy and the current level of state spending. Read More
House rejects Senate's budget changes
The House voted overwhelmingly Saturday evening to reject a wrap-up budget from the Senate that swept out all new spending. The 4-116 vote sent the bill back to a negotiating committee. Six members of the House and Senate have been working to develop a budget, but haven't been able to come to an agreement. Read More
Analysis -- Jindal proposes budget changes -- with control
Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposed revamp of the state's construction spending represents a fundamental change in the way the state budgets for construction projects, but it may be overstatement to call it a sweeping reform. Read More
Jindal asks Bush for levee cash
WASHINGTON - Making his second national television appearance of the week, Gov. Bobby Jindal used a speech to The National Press Club on Friday to call on the Bush administration to free up pledged levee money. Read More
Proposed cuts lead to budget limbo
Just a few weeks ago, lawmakers talked about reining in the growth of state government by slashing Gov. Bobby Jindal's first state operating budget by 5 percent. Read More
Lawmakers deciding on bill to scrap income tax
The Louisiana Legislature is considering a bill that would phase out state income taxes. SB 87 has been approved by the Louisiana Senate and is expected to be reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee, possibly as early as this week. Read More
Study finds Bay Staters support casinos
Massachusetts could become the center of gambling in New England if it builds a destination resort casino and undercuts Rhode Island's 61 percent tax on video lottery terminals, according to a public policy analyst at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Read More
Rep details colleague threat
A state rep who has accused another lawmaker of threatening her during budget deliberations said yesterday she went public to initiate reform in a House chamber where she says some power-hungry reps use intimidation to silence dissenting opinion. Read More
Labor group backs slots
A union group that represents more than 300,000 area workers endorsed a referendum yesterday to legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland, an announcement that underscores the institutional support proponents will have in the lead-up to November's vote. Read More
Gas tax holiday not in state's future
With gas prices continuing to reach new heights, the part of the cost controlled by federal and state governments is coming under increasing scrutiny as some politicians lobby for a break during the summer driving season. Read More
Powerful groups align behind slots
Superficially, the battle over November's slot machine referendum is starting to resemble a fight between a heavyweight and a flyweight. Read More
AUGUSTA: Budget issues to be aired
Residents -- and anyone else with thoughts on the proposed $51.3 million city and school budget -- have a chance to voice their concerns tonight. Read More
Coalition begins challenge to new taxes on soda, beer, wine
Several small-business owners have formally begun a campaign to repeal new taxes on soda, beer and wine. Read More
Use of Maine?s Clean Election Fund leveling off
The popularity of taxpayer-funded legislative races seems to have peaked after years of dramatic growth, according to figures compiled by the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, which administers the program. Read More
State cash to boost city nursing care
The Michigan Department of Community Health plans to announce today a $1.7 million investment into Detroit nursing homes to improve the quality and skills of the staff serving a population of low-income, minority residents with chronic and mental health issues. Read More
Mich. sets scene for films
The first 13 deals have been signed under a new law offering lucrative incentives to filmmakers to bring their projects to Michigan, state officials said Friday. Read More
At The Capitol / Minimum wage bill approved in House
A plan to raise Minnesota's minimum wage to as much as $7.90 an hour by July 2009 cleared the House on Thursday, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he can't live with the bill as it stands. Read More
Minnesota Legislature: Health fund a sticking point as budget talks move slowly
Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Pawlenty ignored Sunday's beautiful weather -- 67 degrees and sunny skies -- and huddled in the Capitol for a second straight day of closed-door talks designed to end the 2008 Legislature. Read More
Northland retailers offer to stretch your stimulus check
The first rebate checks began reaching taxpayers' hands last week, and retailers are ready with offers. Read More
Governor, leaders hold more budget talks; no breakthrough
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders met again into the evening Sunday in an attempt to reach a deal to solve the state's $935 million budget deficit. Read More
Taxpayers paid for game warden meeting, records show
When game wardens from across North America were invited to a conference in St. Paul last year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources rolled out the welcome mat -- and pulled out the taxpayers' checkbook. Read More
Tax Commission says new Mississippi tags coming
About 20 Mississippi counties are either out of car tags or are running short because officials forgot to reorder, according to the State Tax Commission. Read More
Natives & newcomers: Taxes are key
Eight years ago, before federal courts overturned the Blackfeet Tribe's taxes on railroads and utility companies, it collected roughly $1.3 million in tax revenue - about half the tribe's direct income. Read More
North, south Omaha stand to reap state tourism funds
Sure, the Berkshire stockholders in town know about the gems at Borsheims, but not many visitors to Omaha discover what some might consider tourism diamonds in the rough. Read More
Anti-tax group: Cap is a good fit
A conservative group has rapidly gained statewide attention with a proposal to impose local spending caps on 11 municipalities that contain 30 percent of the state's voting population. Read More
More gas stations require prepaying
With gasoline thefts rising along with prices, more local gas station owners are requiring customers to pay up before they fill their tanks. Read More
Smokers feel like tax targets
Ernie Jones of Boscawen has been smoking cigarettes for about 20 years, but he may be ready to quit. That'll depend on whether lawmakers back Gov. John Lynch's proposed 25 cent hike in the cigarette tax. Read More
Clean elections could be victim of budget
The state agency that oversees campaign spending by 6,000 political candidates each year and enforces a growing maze of ethics laws is struggling with the prospect of an 18 percent budget cut. Read More
Overtime for NJ state workers rose $16M last year
Overtime costs for state workers rose $16 million last year, even though the number of New Jersey employees dropped, according to a report in the Courier Post. Read More
Workers comp, hospital funding on legislature's agenda
The Legislature returns to Trenton today with a slate of more than a dozen Senate and Assembly committees taking on issues from workers' compensation to monitoring the fiscal health of hospitals. Read More
Corzine shifts to back gas-tax holiday plan
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is shifting gears to support a federal gas tax holiday this summer. Read More
AARP plans Trenton rally to protect property-tax rebates
AARP New Jersey plans to rally at the Statehouse in Trenton today to oppose reductions in property tax rebates. Read More
Sewer rate rises proposed
Some residents could see their sewer rates increase by 33 percent or more over the next five years under a proposal by the Clark County Water Reclamation District. Read More
TOUGH TIMES: Less help as more need aid
An economic downturn, a wave of foreclosures and anemic state and local budgets are combining into a stark reality for those who work with housing and the homeless: People need more help at the exact time that there's less help available. Read More
Mischief-making blockers are signature gatherers? bane
Russ Stevens walks out of the North Las Vegas DMV office and is approached by a woman asking him to sign a petition in favor of raising casino taxes to benefit teachers and schools. Read More
State lawyer resigns amid no-show probe
An attorney under investigation for an alleged no-show state job resigned his post Friday, defending his work but saying he did not want to become a "distraction." Read More
Law Day 'dimmer' for Kaye
Chief Judge Judith Kaye spent her final Law Day address Friday singing a familiar refrain -- that judges need a raise. Read More
$147M in pork headed home
Lawmakers are showering $147 million in pork-barrel spending on 10,000 programs, agencies and charities back home this election year. Read More
Politics - A process of give and take
An organization that some consider a cult -- and was in line for a state grant -- was missing from the Assembly member item list unveiled Friday. Read More
Short on cash, state hastens plan for casino in City
For New Yorkers, a casino will soon be a mere subway ride away. Or a racino, to use the gambling industry's term: a gambling emporium built into the Aqueduct thoroughbred track in Queens that will include 4,500 video slot machines, but no table games. Read More
Gas-tax plan draws skeptics
That pain shooting from the gas pump to your wallet is real. But the consensus among economists, industry experts and consumers is that a federal gas-tax holiday won't ease the hurt. Read More
Ohio axes 554 jobs at agency for food stamps, unemployed
The state agency that oversees food stamps and health insurance for the poor is eliminating about 554 jobs to comply with Gov. Ted Strickland's order that the agency reduce spending by $67.5 million. Read More
State ice storm costs tallied
TULSA, Okla. - The cost of damage to Oklahoma homes, businesses and infrastructure from December's historic ice storm is approaching $180 million, state officials said. Read More
Michelin nears completion of $200 million investment project
Michelin's Ardmore plant is nearing the finish line of its $200 million investment project that began in late 2002. The company has already spent $187 million for upgrades and will wrap up the rest by the end of October. Read More
State Supreme Court clears path for criminal charges in casino case
The state Supreme Court on Friday appeared to clear the way for prosecutors to proceed with criminal charges against a Poconos casino owner accused of lying to state gambling regulators about his ties to mob figures. Read More
Bridge repairs in state require $11 billion
A state transportation official says it would cost $11 billion to fix the nearly 6,000 bridges in need of repair in Pennsylvania. Read More
Budget, health care high on agenda as lawmakers return
When legislators return to the Capitol today, they will face a jam-packed agenda that includes Gov. Ed Rendell's proposals to help people without health insurance and develop alternative fuels. Read More
State pension increase carries huge cost
A looming battle over whether to increase pension benefits to retired state workers and public school teachers represents a classic clash of political favorites for legislators. Read More
Union workers rally for respect at Rhode Island's State House
Two themes generated the loudest cheers at a State House labor rally yesterday afternoon -- respect for workers and protection for public-employee benefits. Labor officials say both concepts are under attack as Rhode Island grapples with an estimated $384-million budget deficit for the coming fiscal year. Read More
Nashville - Lottery deal tough with less money
House and Senate efforts to resolve a yearlong standoff on how to spend some Tennessee Education Lottery funds are running into new problems as a result of lower-than-expected lottery growth, top lawmakers said. Read More
Bredesen - State must tighten like a business
Gov. Phil Bredesen wants to take a businesslike approach to the budget cuts needed to fill a more than half-billion-dollar shortfall in the state's upcoming spending plan. Read More
Cities push to count every resident to draw state money
The bright yellow T-shirt Mike Chambers has worn for almost three months has a message he wants all Mt. Juliet residents to heed: "Stand up and be counted." Read More
Tuition costs likely to rise
Tennessee college students face a potential double whammy when they pay their tuition this August, with the state's revenue downturn to blame. Read More
Fewer raises than expected for math, science teachers
Science and math teachers across the state were offered a bonus for the 2008-2009 school year by the state Legislature, to recruit and retain teachers in those subjects. However, many math and science teachers won't see a penny because they may not qualify. Read More
A debate over what revived Dulles rail
U.S transportation officials say they reversed their position last week on the proposed extension of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport because Virginia officials and the people overseeing the project made significant enough changes to make it viable. Read More
Little relief for choked secondary roads in Va.
Winding, shoulderless Rolling Road looks like a two-lane country road. But the Newington street has become a major artery, connecting Interstate 95, Route 1, the Fairfax County Parkway and what will soon be a much larger Fort Belvoir. Read More
Legislature settles budget issues, nears adjournment
Intense emotions in the Statehouse were ratcheted up another notch Friday as it became clear the legislative session will likely end today. Read More
Vermont housing bill gets approval at Statehouse
It took until late in the day Friday for opposing sides to iron out their differences on this session's housing bill. But by evening, the 15 or so legislators, lobbyists and administration officials responsible for the negotiations were posing for group pictures outside the Senate Finance Committee room where they inked the final version. Read More
Lawmakers -- Fiscal year 2010 'looks troubling'
Even as they finished work on one of the tightest budgets of the last few years, lawmakers and administration officials started talking and thinking about the next one. Read More
Budget blow off?
Are legislative leaders and the governor serious, about fixing the state budget? With some observers suggesting most of the problems with the state's $527 million shortfall will be pushed off until after the November elections, state Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) expects lawmakers will be presented with a fix sooner, rather than later. Read More
Ground broken on Institutes for Discovery
State officials and major donors break ground on the new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Read More
Libraries offer boost for state economy
Wisconsin's public library system contributes more to the state economy than many people may suspect. Read More
Better pay luring UW chancellors
Has the University of Wisconsin System become a farm team for university leadership? Read More
Guards use sick days to inflate salary
October 2006 was a busy month for one Green Bay Correctional Institution sergeant. Read More
WVU law school to get $8 million from settlement
West Virginia University's College of Law is getting an $8 million windfall. Read More
Money gap yawning in W.Va. governor's race
Gov. Joe Manchin maintains a considerable money edge over fellow Democrat Mel Kessler as the May 13 primary approaches. Read More
Rockefeller wants to help poor buy gas
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller has proposed legislation that would provide low-income families with a monthly stipend of $100 to $165 to offset soaring gasoline costs. Read More
WVU hopes scandal won't drive donors away
MORGANTOWN, W.Va - With one major donor revoking an offer of $2 million worth of donations, West Virginia University hopes the furor over an unearned master's degree won't plague its fundraising efforts. Read More
Governor raps lawmakers for reluctance to feed wildlife trust fund
At a tour of a lakeshore here benefiting from Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund money, Gov. Dave Freudenthal called lawmakers on what he said is their reluctance to feed more dollars into the account. Read More
Parents turn to states for autism help
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs. Read More
Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure. Read More
Credit crunch hits states' college loans
(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)
The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college. Read More
Congress encroaching on state priorities
Far scarier than the economic downturn for states is the growing trend on the part of Congress to restrict state revenue and spending prerogatives and to replace them with congressional priorities, writes Raymond C. Scheppach, executive director of the National Governors Association, in his latest commentary for Stateline.org. He cites provisions in two bills now making their way through Congress as important examples. Read More
Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
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The economic downturn: an opportunity for governors?
Most governors recognize that they have the best political job in America. Most also would concede that the job is more satisfying when the economy is strong and revenues are growing than during an economic downturn, when cutting budgets becomes the major task. But even a recession can present opportunities for governors to make improvements that yield lasting benefits for their states. Read More
Governors pitch ambitious programs
Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
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The recession, the states, and economic stimulus
Red ink in state budgets could prolong the economic downturn and could necessitate a second economic-stimulus package, warns Raymond C. Scheppach, executive director of the National Governors Association, in his latest commentary for Stateline.org. Read More
Medicaid: Biggest insurer is a budget buster
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