Taxes & Budget news Subcribe to Taxes & Budget news |
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By David Kesmodel and William Spain, The Wall Street Journal
States suffering through tough times are reaching for a tonic. Lawmakers in several states with tight control of liquor sales are considering legislation that would shift the job to private industry, saving money and raising revenue.
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By Stateline.org Staff
TODAY'S TAKE: The heavy snowfall that has blanketed much of the mid-Atlantic region in recent days already has exhausted an entire winter’s worth of state and local cleanup budgets in some places.
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AK: Juneau may vie for Arctic Games
By Mary Catharine Martin, The Juneau Empire
The 2014 Arctic Winter Games aren't yet officially being held in Alaska, but that isn't stopping more than one Alaska city from organizing a bid.
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AZ: Budget plan runs into trouble
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services, Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff)
Efforts to plug the state's current budget deficit hit a snag Monday. House Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, said he is still trying to round up the necessary 31 votes for two bills that, together, would borrow $1.2 billion.
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AZ: Scottsdale wants law changed to spur development
By Lynh Bui, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Scottsdale will seek a change in state law that would allow property owners to tax themselves as part of a development district, a move designed to revitalize the McDowell Road corridor or parts of the Scottsdale Airpark.
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AZ: Criticism of Cubs bill raises ire of Mesa Mayor Scott Smith
By Jim Walsh and Jahna Berry, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith lashed out at parochialism among Cactus League baseball teams Monday, saying their opposition to a ticket surcharge for a new Chicago Cubs training facility could cost them all if the team bolts to Florida.
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CA: Fixing seasons of California discontent
By Stu Woo, The Wall Street Journal
The prospect of more California-statehouse dysfunction this year is adding momentum to two efforts to overhaul California's budget process — including one that could rewrite much of the state's constitution.
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CA: Lawmakers lash out at EDD
By Andrew McIntosh, The Sacramento Bee
Lawmakers are fed up with the state Employment Development Department, saying its technology staff is set to rack up $53 million in cost overruns on projects funded with federal stimulus money and is behind on assisting the unemployed.
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FL: Broward property values fall
By Amy Sherman, The Miami Herald
Broward property values plummeted more dramatically than ever last year, according to a preliminary estimate, a decline sure to force local governments to slash spending or raise taxes. Countywide values dropped about 16 percent, according to figures released Monday by Property Appraiser Lori Parrish.
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GA: Bills address teachers' pay, how to punish cheaters
By Kristina Torres, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
House and Senate lawmakers have filed bills in support of two of Gov. Sonny Perdue's major education initiatives this year. One would tie teachers' pay to students' performance. The other would make it a crime to cheat on state tests.
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HI: Hawaii DHS restructuring may cut 200 jobs, close 50 offices
By Mary Vorsino, The Honolulu Advertiser
More than 200 state workers who process applications for government assistance programs could lose their jobs, their union said, and at least 50 eligibility offices statewide could close under a cost-cutting proposal that advocates are worried will make it harder for the poor to access key social services.
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HI: Furlough bill vote postponed
By Loren Moreno, The Honolulu Advertiser
The state Senate's education committee again postponed a vote on a bill that would eliminate the remaining public school teacher furlough days through use of the state hurricane relief fund and an increase in the general excise tax by 1 percentage point.
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IA: Traffic fines on state radar for revenue
By Jason Clayworth, The Des Moines Register
The massive government reorganization bill that Gov. Chet Culver has touted as a key to resolving the state's budget crisis has gotten $913,500 weaker in the past week, placing more pressure on House members to find additional savings.
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IA: Wheeler, 2 filmmakers charged in tax scandal
By Lee Rood, The Des Moines Register
The Iowa attorney general's office on Monday charged the former manager of the Iowa Film Office with misconduct in office and filed first-degree theft charges against principals in the making of a 2008 film in Council Bluffs.
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ID: ID Senate backs bill to kill tax check-off
By The Associated Press, The Times-News (Twin Falls)
A three-decade-old provision that's allowed Idaho residents to chip in a buck of their taxes to their favorite political party is a step closer to falling victim to a tough economy.
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IN: State report critical of heath-care bill
By Kevin Allen, South Bend Tribune
Indiana's attorney general says the health-reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate in December is potentially unconstitutional and would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state's annual health care costs.
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IN: Jobs have session split down the aisle
By Eric Bradner, Evansville Courier and Press
How best to create and protect jobs will be a key point of contention between Democrats and Republicans as the Indiana General Assembly enters the second half of this year's session.
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KS: School funding loophole in peril
By David Klepper, Kansas City Star
The Shawnee Mission School District's clever interpretation of state law now has other school districts urging legislators to close a loophole in school finance law.
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MA: Bill looks to streamline economic development
By Patrick Cassidy, Cape Cod Times
Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, and Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Framingham, filed a bill yesterday to streamline economic development statewide. The bill includes a provision that would consolidate oversight of regional economic development organizations within a single office.
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MA: He has state, US funds waiting
By Casey Ross, The Boston Globe
As the top economic official in Massachusetts government, Gregory Bialecki is responsible for giving away hundreds of millions of dollars to revive the state's troubled economy. There's just one problem: He can't find enough good candidates for the money.
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MA: Outcry threatens Lawrence bailout
By Peter Schworm, The Boston Globe
State legislators are criticizing a $35 million bailout plan for the cash-strapped city of Lawrence, as Beacon Hill prepares to debate the proposal amid growing public outcry over the new mayor's refusal to resign his state representative post.
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ME: New rules for special education debated
By Ethsn Wilensky-Lanford, Kennebec Journal
Emergency rules adopted by the Maine Department of Education to save money on special education have caused more families to take legal action to ensure a quality education for their children, lawmakers were informed Monday.
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MN: Redesign' sought to shore up Minnesota's finances
By Jason Hoppin, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Facing a $1.2 billion state deficit and future deficits of up to $5.4 billion, lawmakers in the Minnesota House unveiled proposals they hope lead to a government "redesign." It is being pitched as a bipartisan effort that focuses on results rather than whether to adjust the levers of government by raising taxes or cutting spending.
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NJ: N.J. lawmakers tout jobs bill
By Hugh R. Morley, The Record of Bergen County
Saying small businesses desperately need credit but banks refuse to lend, two New Jersey congressmen touted a bill Monday that would give the job to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
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NM: State law stalls decision in Block case
By Jason Auslander, Santa Fe New Mexican
Lawyers in the criminal case against state Public Regulation Commission member Jerome Block Jr. argued the finer points of an unusual state law during a hearing Monday, including the meanings of "shall" and "or."
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NM: Senate takes rare vote to override gov.'s veto
By Barry Massey, The Associated Press, Santa Fe New Mexican
Simmering disagreements between lawmakers and the administration of Gov. Bill Richardson boiled over Monday, as the Senate sought to force state agencies to provide the Legislature with confidential information about contracts and programs.
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NY: Summary of the New York state of the state address
Gov. David Paterson (D), facing what could be a difficult primary campaign this year, proposed a plan Jan. 6 that he said would fix New York’s shattered finances, rejuvenate its slumping economy and restore trust in government through a series of major ethics reforms.
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OR: Veto override shields retirees from PERS errors
By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal (Salem)
Public employees will be shielded from state agency math errors that could have forced them to repay retirement benefits under a bill that the Oregon Legislature repassed over Gov. Ted Kulongoski's veto.
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OR: Recovery will be slow, state economist says
By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal (Salem)
Monday's economic forecast, the seventh in a row to show declining tax collections, will prompt lawmakers to find more than $100 million in spending cuts, reserve shifts or reduced tax breaks to balance the state budget.
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SC: Segregation spurred S.C. school building spree
By Joey Holleman, The State (Columbia)
For the two generations of children who have attended integrated public schools, it's hard to fathom South Carolina spent $124 million on buildings and buses from 1951 through 1955 with the express purpose of preventing black and white kids from attending school together.
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US: Unemployment taxes slam businesses
By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com
NEW YORK -- Employers are getting hit with a massive tax hike at a time when they can least afford it. Companies in at least 35 states will have to fork over more in unemployment insurance taxes this year, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.
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UT: Lawmakers discuss early high school graduation
By Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune
Sen. Chris Buttars isn't talking about dropping 12th grade any more. Now, he's talking about making 12th grade optional for those students who finish their required credits early -- and some lawmakers are listening to the idea with interest.
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UT: State scholarships face another shortfall
By Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune
Higher education officials cautioned lawmakers Monday that they will have to substantially shrink the state's two popular merit-based scholarships next year absent an increase in funding beyond what the Legislature currently envisions.
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VA: Change in formula may mean less money for area schools
By Olympia Meola and Holly Prestidge, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond-area school systems are facing millions of dollars less in state education funding, after Gov. Bob McDonnell said yesterday that he will support updating the index that determines how much state money each school system receives.
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VA: GOP plan emerges to fix Va. shortfall
By Julian Walker, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)
House of Delegates budget negotiators hope to overcome a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall in part by deeper cuts at state agencies, bigger contributions from state workers to their pension plans and more federal money to pay for Medicaid.
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VA: McDonnell directing more education money to N.Va.
By Anita Kumar and Fredrick Kunkle, The Washington Post
RICHMOND, Va. -- In one of his first decisions on the state's two-year budget, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell sided with Northern Virginia, the vote-rich region that helped him secure his landslide victory in November, by sending it more school dollars.
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WA: Major polluter tax bills introduced in Olympia
By Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times
The big environmental bill of the legislative session -- a proposal to triple the tax on oil, pesticides and other chemicals and devote the money to storm water cleanup -- was formally introduced today in the state House and Senate.
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WA: Report spells out tuition increases under Senate bill
By Lillian Tucker, The Seattle Times
Wondering what all this talk of tuition-setting authority means in terms of the price tag on education? Senate Committee Services released a report Monday that lays out possible future tuition rates under the maximum-limit provisions of SB 6562.
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WV: Lottery chief predicts revenue will level off
By Phil Kabler, Charleston Gazette
After three consecutive years of declining revenues, West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave said he believes state Lottery revenues will level off in future years -- despite a weak economy and increased competition from neighboring states.
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WY: 'Take your cue from the private sector'
By Joan Barron, Casper Star-Tribune
Gov. Dave Freudenthal pushed for his wind energy package, called for more money for school capital construction and repeated his admonition to leave the state's reserve funds alone during his message to the Legislature on Monday.
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WY: Restrictions slow state government hiring
By Ben Neary, The Associated Press, Casper Star-Tribune
The rate of state government hiring has slowed significantly since falling energy revenues prompted Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal to impose restrictions last spring, state records show.
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