Tracking the recession: Budget deadline looms
Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets. But several states still have not completed spending plans for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
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Archive of Taxes & Budget on Monday June 29, 2009
Tracking the recession: Budget deadline looms
Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets. But several states still have not completed spending plans for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Read More
WI: Wisconsin Assembly passes budget to governor
Lawmakers gave final approval to a state budget deal early Friday evening, ending a messy process marked by days of secret meetings and all-night debates. Read More
MA: Patrick stresses upside of tax hikes
Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday that he will sign more than $1 billion in tax increases, ending a months-long standoff with the Legislature and ensuring Massachusetts residents will pay more for everything, from satellite dishes to cheeseburgers. Read More
AL: Alabama Board of Education considers changes to state's testing plan
A proposal to completely overhaul the state's testing plan - including doing away with the Alabama High School Graduation Exam and instead requiring all 11th-graders to take the ACT - was met with support from Alabama Board of Education members Thursday. Read More
AL: Lawmakers to discuss coastal insurance
Alabama Speaker of the House Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia, has asked a group of lawmakers to study coastal insurance troubles and report back in January with possible solutions. Read More
AL: Alabama senators and representatives for Jefferson County seeking summer session to restore occupational tax
Jefferson County legislators met Friday to discuss passing a new county occupational tax in late summer, but the commission president said bankruptcy may come sooner because the county will run out of cash in 35 days. Read More
AZ: Legislature hopes to cram months of work into 2 days
As Arizona lawmakers enter their 24th week of work, things don't look all that different from when they started Jan. 12: A gargantuan budget deficit. Scores of bills. Difficult relations with the governor. And not much to show for all the time and effort. Read More
AZ: State budget deal calls for a tax overhaul
Arizonans would see a switch to a flat income tax, get a chance to vote on a sales-tax increase and see smaller state government as part of a budget agreement reached between Gov. Jan Brewer and GOP legislative leaders. Read More
CA: Turf wars loom as services retooled
Overshadowed by the more immediate budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers are crafting separate plans to restructure state fire protection and water-delivery services across California. Read More
CA: Governor threatens third furlough day for state workers
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to furlough state workers an additional day each month starting in July if lawmakers do not send him an immediate solution for the entire $24 billion budget deficit, he said Friday. Read More
CA: Fiscal crisis puts Prop. 13 up for discussion
About this time every year, as the Legislature and governor wrestle over how to pass the state budget, somewhere, somebody blames Sacramento's stalemate - and the state of the California's mediocre schools and crumbling roads - on Proposition 13. Read More
CA: No sign of deal to close Calif. deficit
With the threat of IOUs just days away, Democratic and Republican lawmakers show no sign of compromise in their efforts to close California's $24.3 billion deficit. Read More
CA: Governor says he would veto any budget end run
In a controversial simple-majority vote Sunday night, the state Assembly approved raising taxes on oil production and tobacco products as part of a Democratic budget proposal that closes most of the $24.3 billion budget shortfall through June 2010. Read More
CA: Two-year colleges' fees likely to rise 30%
Nearly 3 million California community college students are expected to face a 30 percent, $6-per-unit fee increase this fall regardless of how lawmakers ultimately decide to balance the state budget. Read More
CA: Fiscal changes hit prison officers union hard
Once seen as the model of public employee labor sophistication and clout, California's prison officers union is struggling amid the state's financial meltdown and a sour relationship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read More
CA: Dan Walters -- More fuel for debate on malaise
Perhaps the most enduring political debate in California – right up there with water – is whether the state's periodic plunges into economic recession are caused by circumstances beyond its control or a self-inflicted malady. Read More
CA: Burning Moms use humor to push for education changes in California
They think of themselves as street-theater activists who are willing to get in the face of the powers-that-be to bring equity to the state's school funding system. Read More
CA: Assembly Democrats push budget plan that doesn't need GOP support
Democratic legislators trotted out a stick-and-carrot approach to closing the state's budget gap Sunday night, negotiating with the governor on one floor of the Capitol while voting for a package of cuts and taxes on another. Read More
CA: Democrats try talks, majority-vote approach
Democratic legislators trotted out a stick-and-carrot approach to closing the state's budget gap Sunday night, negotiating with the governor on one floor of the Capitol while voting for a package of cuts and taxes on another. Read More
CA: Governor's last stand -- his way or IOUs
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeking to conquer what could be the last budget crisis of his tenure, is engaged in a high-stakes negotiating strategy with lawmakers that could force him to preside over a meltdown of state government. Read More
CA: Assembly Democrats OK budget package
Democratic leaders in the state Assembly, frustrated by the refusal of Republicans to support tax hikes to help balance the state budget, pushed through a proposal Sunday night that uses a series of legal maneuvers to put higher levies in place without any GOP votes. Read More
CA: More furloughs possible for California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California said he would order some 200,000 state workers to take a third furlough day every month if lawmakers could not agree on how to close a $24 billion deficit. Read More
CO: Colo. crisis worst since Depression
Colorado lawmakers who have already balanced a budget shortfall of $1.4 billion now must come up with an additional $384 million in cuts, marking this as the worst downturn for state government since at least the Great Depression. Read More
CO: Colorado state budget saves cash on per diem
As the state budget crisis worsened this year, Sen. Paula Sandoval made a decision that saved taxpayers several thousand dollars: She quit taking per diem. Read More
CT: CT towns question fireworks budgets during recession
With the recession causing declines in tax revenue and even more pressure than usual on municipal budgets, some town leaders have taken aim at expensive fireworks shows as a way of saving money. Read More
CT: Rell in budget talks with legislative leaders
Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders met Sunday for the first time in three weeks to try to negotiate an agreement on a new state budget, adjourning after a couple of hours without a resolution but with at least one participant calling the session "productive." Read More
DE: Budget ax aimed at fix-up program
The upcoming state budget would give lawmakers less than half the money they got this year for a controversial program to fix streets, plant trees and pave parking lots in their districts, a legislative committee recommended Sunday. Read More
DE: Tax hikes run risk of public outrage
A push by the General Assembly to hike personal and business taxes at a time of record unemployment could generate a powerful political backlash. Read More
DE: State looks for uses for ex-MBNA building
When legislators bought a shuttered MBNA building in downtown Wilmington for $13.4 million two years ago, officials first said it would be used as a training facility. Read More
FL: New state laws take effect July 1
On July 1, a yearly ritual takes place in Florida: a crop of new laws passed by legislators and signed by the governor takes effect. Read More
FL: The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives...
The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Ray Sansom's dealings with a Panhandle college has concluded that there is probable cause that the former speaker of the House violated House rules and could be sanctioned. Read More
FL: Florida House panel to review Sansom case
State Rep. Ray Sansom, already indicted by a grand jury, now faces disciplinary action from his colleagues after an investigator Friday found probable cause that he damaged ''faith and confidence'' in the Florida House. Read More
GA: Perdue's stimulus plan slow to help sagging economy
Gov. Sonny Perdue promised in January that his state stimulus package would create 20,000 construction jobs, but what he didn't say was that most of those won't come on line until well into 2010. Read More
GA: Georgia to overhaul health and social service agencies
For years, Georgia's health and social service agencies have lurched from crisis to crisis. People wait months, if not years, for something as simple as a copy of their birth certificate. Read More
HI: School contracts under scrutiny
The state attorney general's criminal division is investigating procurement practices at the state Department of Education. Read More
IA: Courts to cut 50 jobs, save $5.4 million
Iowa's court system will eliminate or hold vacant about 50 jobs, officials said Thursday. Read More
IA: Benefit cuts possible for future Iowa retirees
Iowa's largest public employee pension fund could be forced to reduce benefits for future retirees because of the global recession, which has worsened the fund's existing financial troubles, state officials said Thursday. Read More
ID: Idaho food stamp enrollment at 151,000 in May
REXBURG, Idaho — More than 151,000 people in Idaho qualified for food assistance in May, compared to nearly 100,000 at the same time last year, state officials say. Read More
IL: Former govs tell Quinn to play hardball on budget
Former Republican Govs. Jim Edgar and Jim Thompson say lawmakers are getting off easy in this budget fight and the state's current chief executive needs to ramp up the pressure. Read More
IL: State budget mess leaves plenty of questions
With lawmakers returning to the Capitol today to take another crack at balancing the state's budget, the Daily Herald seeks to answer some of the basic questions behind the current situation. Read More
IL: Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield to face budget deadline
As lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday with an unsettled state budget and a deadline to act staring them down, the rhetoric behind potential drastic social service cuts has become clouded by questions of credibility from the governor on down. Read More
IL: $3.5 million cut could cost $2 billion
It's hard to get attention for your planning agency's budget problems when services for the poor are in trouble. Someone in a wheelchair in need of nursing help is a more sympathetic figure than an urban planner with a blueprint. Read More
IL: Highway, transit funds put in limbo
How long can we wait for a new federal transportation act? As long as necessary to craft a good bill, says Brian Imus, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group. Read More
IN: Clock ticking on state budget talks
State lawmakers are due back at work as they face a deadline of midnight Tuesday to pass a new state spending plan. Read More
IN: State shutdown near, warns Daniels
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he was prepared to keep essential services such as public safety running if lawmakers do not pass a budget by midnight Tuesday, but warned that most of state government would shut down. Read More
IN: No compromise yet in state budget impasse
House and Senate budget negotiators met throughout the weekend – and are behind closed doors already this morning – but haven't reached a compromise needed to avert a government shutdown. Read More
KS: Analysis -- Stimulus taking shape
Sitting around a conference table, members of the governor's Cabinet pondered the impact of nearly $2 billion in federal stimulus money flowing into Kansas. Funding for schools, highways and the unemployed is aimed at helping maintain education quality, create construction jobs and help residents who were recently laid off. Read More
KS: Audit rocking Kansas higher ed
It was one of the strangest situations in Kansas politics in recent years, and that's saying something. Read More
KY: Ky. horse industry warns that future is bleak
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Leaders of the state's horse industry see it clearly: If more gambling isn't allowed at Kentucky racetracks, the state will have fewer horses, fewer races and, eventually, fewer horse farms. Read More
KY: Attorneys to reap benefits of special session
Prosecutors and public defenders were among those who benefitted from the recently completed General Assembly special session. Read More
KY: Racing industry to target slots foes
With the death of the racetrack slots bill in a Senate committee last week, proponents of expanded gambling are now turning their attention to the 2010 legislative elections as their next realistic chance to win the support they need to finally prevail. Read More
LA: Jindal emerges from second legislative session in control
By his own admission, Gov. Bobby Jindal and his administration made some rookie mistakes during the 2008 regular session, the first for the nation's youngest governor. Read More
LA: Jindal signs bill to boost some pensions
Legislation to boost the pensions of certain retirees now is state law. Read More
LA: LSU researchers -- coastal restoration projects doomed to fail
Even under best-case scenarios for building massive engineering projects to restore Louisiana's dying coastline, the Mississippi River can't possibly feed enough sediment into the marshes to prevent ongoing catastraphic catastrophic land loss, two Louisiana State University geologists conclude in a scientific paper being published today. Read More
LA: Medicaid under review
Private health-care providers who treat Louisiana's poor are facing a $180 million cut in the government health insurance program that pays them. Read More
MA: Deval Patrick signs off on tax hike bill
Bay State consumers, already hard-pressed by a slumping economy, will be slapped with a 25 percent sales tax hike and nearly $1 billion in total tax increases Aug. 1, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday after signing a massive transportation reform bill. Read More
MA: Gov. Deval Patrick sides with dental benefits, immigrant coverage
Gov. Deval Patrick will agree to the Legislature's plan to preserve $100 million worth of dental benefits for enrollees in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, heavily subsidized programs that serve largely lower income residents, according to a person briefed on the governor's plans for dealing with the $27.4 billion state budget on this desk. Read More
MA: Gov. Deval Patrick eyes pricey solution to counterfeit cigarette tax stamps
Bay State consumers, already hard-pressed by a slumping economy, will be slapped with a 25 percent sales tax hike and nearly $1 billion in total tax increases Aug. 1, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday after signing a massive transportation reform bill. Read More
MA: Gov. Patrick signs transportation reform bill
Gov. Deval Patrick signed the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority out of existence Friday. Read More
MA: Gambling debate kicks off at state house
A new round of public debate about allowing casinos in Massachusetts kicks off at the State House on Monday. Read More
MA: Mass turnpike board to withdraw toll hike
A $100 million toll increase on on the Massachusetts Turnpike is just days away, but the Turnpike Board of Directors is likely to rescind the toll hike. Read More
MA: Mass. high court upholds local fee for burial permits
A quest by members of a Fall River clan to end what they considered an illegal tax on grieving families ended yesterday when the state's high court said burial permit fees are legal. Read More
MA: Patrick set to keep healthcare for poor
Governor Deval Patrick plans to announce a spending proposal tomorrow that retains medical coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants who are at risk of losing it, and will also agree to ensure dental coverage for another 700,000 of the state's poorest residents, administration officials said yesterday. Read More
MA: Local health inspectors feel strain
Massachusetts is recognized as a pioneer in public health. It was here, in 1799 in Boston, that the nation's first local board of health was created. But now the state's network of community health departments is stretched so thin that some are unable to provide important services, public health officials said. Read More
MA: Small investors saved day for state
When state government faced an urgent cash crunch, an unexpected ally stepped forward to help raise money when it became impossible to borrow from Wall Street: Massachusetts residents. Read More
MD: Stimulus not solving school fiscal woes
School officials are looking warily into the fiscal future because temporary federal stimulus funding is only preventing budget cuts, not building programs or supporting employees. Read More
ME: Law improves voter access to initiative costs
When voters close the curtains behind them on Election Day, they'll have a bit more information available to them than in the past. Read More
ME: Wanted -- Long-term vision for state budget
Lawmakers will begin meeting next month to figure out exactly where they can cut $30 million more out of a state budget that has already been pared to the bone. Read More
MO: Missouri governor signs health care taxes measure
Gov. Jay Nixon has signed legislation that levies a tax on several health care businesses. The new revenue will bring more federal Medicaid money to Missouri. Read More
MS: Budget session yielding progress
State lawmakers, trying to approve a budget before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday, advanced legislation Sunday that would head off increases in Mississippians' car-tag costs, hike taxes on cheaper cigarettes and set budgets for certain state agencies. Read More
MS: Miss. lawmakers engage in last-minute budget blitz
Mississippi lawmakers are playing a frantic game of beat the clock as they try to pass a nearly $6 billion state budget before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. Read More
NC: Hard times, tough luck for Perdue
Nearly six months after taking office, Gov. Beverly Perdue's political honeymoon is over. Read More
NC: Even on breaking deadline, House, Senate spar
It has come to this: Lawmakers can't agree on a deadline for breaking the deadline. Read More
NC: Will N.C. be denied funds over charters?
A federal stimulus program called "Race to the Top" could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for North Carolina's cash-strapped public schools. Read More
NH: Tense times for Lynch, employees
The special friendship between Gov. John Lynch and the State Employees' Association appeared to be on life support last week. Read More
NH: Size of budget debated
The fight over crafting the state's next budget ended Wednesday, when the Legislature passed an $11.5 billion two-year plan that Gov. John Lynch promptly vowed to sign. But the fight over how - and whether - the budget represents an increase in state spending has just begun, and will likely continue through next year's elections. Read More
NH: New taxes hit the dirt
Bob Bradley, owner of Blake's Brook Campground in Epsom, pointed to a small piece of land with un-mowed grass, wet from the recent stretch of rainy days. Read More
NH: Prison officers: Cuts have created unsafe conditions
State corrections officers say budget cuts that led to layoff notices for 32 prison-guards have created a powder keg inside the state's already overcrowded and understaffed prisons. Read More
NH: NH gov says he'd furlough himself to save jobs
Gov. John Lynch said Friday he'd furlough himself to save New Hampshire money and jobs, but everyone in state government must participate for a furlough program to be fair. Read More
NJ: Where prison is shuttered, hope mingles with concern
This is the time of year when the inmates of Riverfront State Prison in Camden would start ratting on each other. In whispers, letters and phone calls, they traded gossip in hopes of landing a cell facing the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline. Then, on the Fourth of July, the luckiest convicts had the best view of the fireworks. Read More
NJ: Worker furloughs shut state courts
State courts will be closed today while judiciary workers are on the furlough ordered by Gov. Jon Corzine. County probation offices and business offices where the public files court papers or makes payments to the courts will also be closed. Read More
NV: Hospitals' losses rise
Clark County acute-care hospitals had their worst year on record in 2008, and the state's shaky economy and rising unemployment are expected to create more problems for uninsured people and the health community in the near future. Read More
NV: Nevada museums cut hours this week
Faced with a one-third cut in his budget, Department of Cultural Affairs Director Michael Fischer did what any realistic business manager would do: He cut hours of museums and libraries, laid off some employees and reduced the work week of many others to 32 hours. Read More
NY: State to pay up to $10,000 for eggs used in research
As far as medical researchers know, no state ever has allowed taxpayer funds to pay women for donating their eggs for embryonic stem cell research. Read More
NY: Paterson -- Albany mess could mean LI property tax boost David Paterson
Gov. David A. Paterson Sunday called on state senators to put an end to political chaos in Albany, warning in a trip to Long Island that property taxes could rise and services cut without a quick resolution. Read More
OH: Governor, lawmakers face budget backlash
Writing an interim state budget is simple. Calculating the political fallout is tougher. Read More
OH: Ohio budget deadline looms
As Ohio's top politicians inch closer to a deal on a two-year budget package worth more than $50 billion, there's a smorgasbord of unresolved arguments over how schools throughout the Buckeye State work. Read More
OH: Gambling issue holds up Ohio budget
Disagreement over who should approve slot machines at horse tracks - Ohio voters or state legislators - has pushed the General Assembly up against a Tuesday deadline to pass Gov. Ted Strickland's two-year budget or resort to emergency spending for the first time in 18 years. Read More
OH: Gov. Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris remain at an impasse over state budget deficit, slot machines
Gov. Ted Strickland and Republican Senate President Bill Harris remained at an impasse Sunday over the Democratic governor's plan to help close a $3.2 billion budget deficit by legalizing slot machines at seven Ohio racetracks. Read More
OH: Legislators call off talks on bridging budget gap
Key players in Ohio's budget impasse remain far enough apart that they've canceled a meeting planned today to start sorting through nearly 600 areas of dispute while also wrestling with a $3.2 billion revenue shortfall. Read More
OH: Budget cuts threaten Ohio libraries
The future of Ohio's public libraries is at stake in a House-Senate conference committee meeting Sunday, librarians say. Read More
OK: Oklahoma grant comes to rural ambulances' aid
Rural ambulance districts struggling with financial problems have a better shot at getting new first-time state money early next year. Read More
OR: Business coalition to fight Oregon tax increases
Two tax hikes passed by the Legislature face a powerful new opponent: a broad business coalition willing to spend millions of dollars to persuade voters to reject the increases. Read More
OR: House OKs phase-in of Measure 57
The Oregon House voted Friday on a second try to phase in a new tough-on-crime law and use the savings to offset spending cuts in public-safety agencies. Read More
OR: Session marked a close call for human services
Human-services advocates scored a big win with the expansion of state health coverage to an additional 80,000 children. Read More
OR: Republicans' future may hinge on perception
With their thinnest ranks in both chambers in a quarter century, Republicans have nowhere to go but up in the Oregon Legislature — and how the public reacts to budget-balancing tax increases may determine how fast their political fortunes change. Read More
OR: Oregon higher education budget headed to governor
The budget funding for Oregon's public colleges and universities cleared its final legislative hurdle today. Next stop: The governor's desk. Read More
OR: Legislature votes to roll back Oregon tax subsidy for wind projects
A state program that subsidizes green energy projects got trimmed Friday when lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that reduces tax credits for Oregon wind farms. Read More
OR: House supports bill to conserve water
After nearly an hour of floor debate, the House this afternoon approved a bill that would provide state loans and grants to foster water development projects in Oregon. Read More
PA: What are the hang-ups in Pennsylvania's state budget?
State officials have until Tuesday to adopt a budget for the next fiscal year that starts Wednesday. However, no one expects them to meet that deadline. So what are the hang-ups? Read More
PA: No stimulus money for Pitt and Penn State
In a further sign that Gov. Ed Rendell no longer views them as truly public campuses, the four state-related universities have been removed from the state's application for federal stimulus money to aid public higher education. Read More
PA: 'No whining' about painful budget cuts, layoffs
Warning of painful budget cuts and layoffs, Gov. Ed Rendell in January said he wanted to hear "no whining." But as state government moves toward the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday nowhere near a budget agreement, everyone, including Rendell, appears to be complaining. Read More
PA: Luzerne County detention centers overcharged other counties according to audit
A pair of juvenile detention centers at the crux of a bribery scandal in Luzerne County also were charging counties like Allegheny and Butler too much for their services, according to a state audit. Read More
PA: As deadline looms, sides stay far apart
Two days remain until the state's budget year ends, and this afternoon Gov. Ed Rendell and legislative leaders will meet again to try to narrow their differences over taxes and spending for 2009-10. Read More
RI: Consumers falling victim to bogus health-care cards
When the flier promising "affordable health care" was faxed to the Westerly nursing home where she worked, Joan Albright thought of her ex-husband, who had no insurance and hadn't seen a doctor in years. So she gave him the phone number to call. Read More
RI: Health care still free for R.I. lawmakers
State lawmakers spared their own free health-care packages — costing up to $17,986 apiece — from last week's round of budget cuts across state government and the municipal aid landscape. Read More
RI: With federal help, $7.8-billion budget goes to Carcieri
The Senate approved a $7.8-billion state budget Friday night, sending the tax-and-spending bill for the budget year that begins Wednesday to the governor's desk and ending a 24-hour standoff. Read More
RI: State officials, business leaders discuss ways to boost R.I.'s green economy
WARWICK, R.I. — For months now, state policymakers, academics and business leaders have talked of the potential for the "green" economy to pull Rhode Island out of recession. Read More
RI: R.I. bill forces racing at struggling dog track
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island House voted yesterday to force a financially struggling gambling hall to expand its schedule of greyhound races, even as its owners and Governor Donald L. Carcieri seek to end the money-losing races and protect millions of dollars in state income from its slot machines. Read More
RI: A casino's plan to open 24 hours a day draws ire
LINCOLN, R.I. -- Back in the 1940s, when Hal Perry's father worked on the construction site for the Lincoln Downs racetrack near the family's cattle farm, the Perrys never imagined the place would cause them any trouble. Read More
SD: No-bids now open for some contracts
Rapid City advertising executive Robert Sharp is finally getting a chance to compete for a multimillion-dollar state tourism contract that for years has gone to a Sioux Falls advertising firm without bids or competitive proposals. Read More
SD: State turns to counties' homeland security funds to upgrade radio system
Every day, and especially during an emergency, Bennett County Sheriff Lindell Adair's most reliable tool for contacting his staff or other emergency personnel is a radio connected to South Dakota's digital radio network. "Our phones only work in about half the county," Adair said. "Without good digital communication, we're out of contact with everybody." Read More
TN: State cuts hurt growing colleges
Colleges and universities in the state knew they would take a hit in state funding amid plummeting revenues and an economic recession. Read More
TX: How will Texas compete in Race to the Top?
Texas appeared to have a head start on its competitors when the Obama administration announced it would offer select states huge grants to encourage cutting-edge reforms in education. But recent signals from Washington could indicate the competition might be stiffer than Texas officials thought. Read More
TX: Prison guard shortage eases
Texas' longstanding shortage of prison guards has evaporated significantly in recent months — to the lowest numbers in more than a decade, thanks to a struggling economy and pay incentives that include bonuses and raises. Read More
TX: Barbecuing for 4th? Perry thinking tea party
What will make your Fourth of July special? Fireworks? Parades? Picnics? If you're Gov. Rick Perry, the answer is probably...tea parties. Read More
TX: Session will hit some where it hurts
Folks who watch their pennies when choosing smokeless tobacco, callers who like prepaid wireless plans and lobbyists and others who've found Capitol-area parking fines a bargain: Texas lawmakers left a bill for you the last time they left town. Read More
TX: Carona files SB 1 for special
Sen. John Carona, the Dallas Republican who chairs the Senate's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, said this afternoon he has filed legislation for next Wednesday's start of a special legislative session. Read More
TX: Many want Gov. Perry to add to special session's agenda
The special work session for legislators beginning Wednesday is likely to be short, but not necessarily sweet. Advocates for unfinished business, ranging from expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program to lowering homeowners insurance, are disappointed the governor won't tackle what they see as pressing needs. Read More
US: National sex offender registry delayed a year
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has given states and American Indian tribes another year to feed a national Internet database set up to protect children by showing where possible predators live and work. Read More
US: States consider gas and oil levies
Cash-strapped states are considering raising taxes on oil production to plug yawning budget gaps, but they face strong resistance from oil companies, which warn the moves could lead to lost jobs and higher energy prices. Read More
UT: Medicaid changes Alzheimer's meds for new Utah patients
A popular drug to treat Alzheimer's will not be available to new Medicaid patients as of July 1. Read More
VA: Countrywide deal funds to aid debt counseling
Virginia families facing home foreclosure will be eligible for debt counseling funded in part by a legal settlement with Countrywide Financial Corp. Read More
VA: Va. Railway Express fares go up today
Virginia Railway Express is raising fares to help offset a projected $1 million budget gap. Read More
VA: Senate panel takes up state IT agency inquiry
A state Senate panel will be scrutinizing cost overruns and delays involving Virginia's six-year-old information technology superagency. Read More
VT: Vt. farmers alter hay cutting to save birds
SHELDON, Vt. — A University of Vermont researcher is merging science with conservation with a project that pays farmers to help protect grassland songbirds. Read More
VT: Vermont's auto sticker changes will save state $60K a year
Vermonters will be seeing a couple of changes in their car registrations starting Wednesday, both designed to shore up the state's flagging coffers. Read More
WA: Wash. visitor info center closes to save money
The Washington state Visitor Information Center, which has guided people to tourism activities around the state for nearly years, is set to close starting Wednesday. Read More
WA: Stimulus funds offer new life to well-traveled highways
A series of state highway projects worth more than $20 million is about to get started in northeast Washington as a result of the federal economic stimulus plan approved by Congress earlier this year. Read More
WA: U.S. ports ask Congress to help fight competition
WASHINGTON – Struggling to ride out the recession, West Coast ports face new competition as ports in Canada and Mexico, an expanded Panama Canal and even the Suez Canal could steal away some of the cross-Pacific shipping they've relied on. Read More
WA: Wash. visitor info center closes to save money
The Washington state Visitor Information Center, which has guided people to tourism activities around the state for nearly years, is set to close starting Wednesday. Read More
WA: Stimulus money creates jobs for youths
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act sent $19.9 million to Washington state to employ people ages 16 to 19 for seven weeks over the summer. There are 280 young adults in Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island counties working minimum-wage jobs funded by the act. Read More
WA: Fewer inmates to fight fires due to state budget cuts
Legislative budget cuts mean the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will have fewer inmate work crews trained to fight forest fires this year. Read More
WI: Sheboygan lands $3M in stimulus funds for Taylor Drive
The state budget awaiting the governor's signature includes $3 million in federal stimulus funds to resurface a section of Taylor Drive on the city's north side, according to Ald. Jim Gischia. Read More
WI: Immigrant groups seek driver's card, tuition break in Wisconsin budget
Advocates are making a final push to convince Wisconsin lawmakers to cut tuition rates and create a new driver's card for illegal immigrants. Read More
WI: Doyle To Sign $62 Billion Budget Monday
Gov. Jim Doyle will sign Wisconsin's two-year budget on Monday -- two days before the new fiscal year begins. Read More
WI: Assembly passes budget; measure goes to Doyle
The Legislature on Friday sent Gov. Jim Doyle a budget that closes the biggest deficit in state history with tax increases, federal stimulus cash, aid cuts for schools and local governments, and furloughs of workers. Read More
Weekly wrap: Feds release long-awaited stimulus job guidelines
The Obama administration tells state officials to take "a simple headcount" of jobs saved or created by the stimulus program. Meanwhile, the demand for some special jobs is soaring. Officials also warn states not to shortchange education when balancing budgets. Read More
Ga. hotline aims to cut mental health costs
Read More
New section follows stimulus spending
Read More
Tracking the recession: States target jobs
Though unemployment is rising in nearly every state, aggressive efforts to create jobs are paying off — modestly — in many states. Read More
Tracking the recession: State leaders suffer political backlash
Voters are blaming governors and state legislators for the economic downturn, which could make it harder for them to win re-election next year. Read More
Reports: State income levels plunge
States racing to cobble together new budgets for their July 1 deadline could find themselves sinking back into red ink sooner than they think, as Americans’ income and the taxes they pay on it shrink, new data show. Read More
Weekly wrap: Sales tax fight splits GOP in Arizona
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) sues her own party over the budget. The U.S. labor department releases May unemployment data, and Illinois says it can’t afford to pay for indigent burials. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap." Read More
Recession ushers in more tobacco taxes
In a double-whammy for smokers, the federal government and seven states raised taxes on cigarettes this year. But the new taxes plus President Obama's vow to sign a bill imposing sweeping regulation of the tobacco industry threaten to shrink cigarette sales — and revenues for state coffers. Read More
Federal stimulus dollars, state deficits -- and federalism
Even with well-timed help from the economic stimulus package, state governments will face a rough three years ahead, warns Raymond C. Scheppach, an economist and executive director of the National Governors Association, in his latest commentary for Stateline.org. With state budgets through 2011 expected to face shortfalls of $200 billion to $250 billion, the federal government should take care not to heap more costs on states with new legislative initiatives, Scheppach writes. Read More |
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