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Taxes & Budget

AK: Facing prison, Kohring blames government but says his conscience is clear


ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Facing a prison sentence of 3 1/2 years, a former Alaska lawmaker said he's broke and has lost respect for the U.S. government, but that his conscience is clear.
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AK: Kohring sentenced to 3 1/2 years  Registration Required


A federal judge sentenced former Wasilla state Rep. Vic Kohring to 3.5 years in prison Thursday for taking bribes in a scheme to keep Alaska oil taxes down.
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AL: Senate blocks grocery tax bill


Democrats in the Alabama Senate fell one vote short Thursday of bringing up a bill that would remove the state sales tax from groceries by no longer allowing Alabamians to deduct the federal income taxes they pay from their state income taxes.   Read More
AZ: Land auction raises concerns


An Arizona land auction for a Pinnacle Peak resort site has neighbors worried that development would reduce access to an adjacent hiking trail.   Read More
CA: GOP lawmakers offer ideas for tackling deficit  Registration Required


With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger set to unveil his revised budget next week, Republican legislators on Thursday announced a series of proposals they said would save money and help the state run more efficiently.   Read More
CA: Perata drops 'Dump Denham' campaign  Registration Required


After millions of dollars raised and spent and a long trail of acrimonious campaigning, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said Wednesday he is dropping his bid to recall Sen. Jeff Denham, saying he worried it would get in the way of fixing the state's precarious fiscal condition.   Read More
CA: Big MTBE settlement to benefit California


Chevron Corp. and other big oil companies have agreed to pay $422 million to settle a major lawsuit over the gasoline additive MTBE, and much of the money will go to plaintiffs in California.   Read More
CA: Senate Democrat Jack Scott named to lead California community colleges  Registration Required


A former college president-turned-lawmaker has been named the next chancellor of California's community college system, making him think twice about his role in crafting the education budget.   Read More
CA: California picks 12 counties to share $750 million in jail funds  Registration Required


Twelve California counties, including Yolo, are in line to receive a combined $750 million in jail construction funds under recommendations released Thursday by the state Corrections Standards Authority.   Read More
CA: California tax proposals target beer-loving, pornography-watching yacht owners  Registration Required


As state leaders hunt for politically palatable solutions to the swelling budget shortfall, some Democrats are proposing unorthodox ways to generate cash.   Read More
CO: Urban districts cue DPS about shared schools


Separate programs or schools will probably share buildings in Denver by 2009, a change that has advantages but also could pose difficulties.   Read More
CT: Special session expected on conveyance tax  Registration Required


Cities and towns have nothing to fear. That was the word from the state Capitol on Thursday as Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell said they expect the legislature to convene a special session so that municipalities can continue receiving $40 million from an extension of the tax on real estate sales.   Read More
CT: Rell - Low-interest loans OK'd for Norwich fire victims  Registration Required


NORWICH, Conn. - Gov. M. Jodi Rell says victims of the April 26 fire that destroyed a Norwich apartment complex can apply for low-interest federal loans.   Read More
CT: Democrats plan special session


Democratic lawmakers said they are committed to calling the state legislature back in for a special session this spring, citing their desire to extend a critical source of revenue for cities and towns.   Read More
FL: Cash-strapped Florida gives $9.1M to Orlando military training facilities  Registration Required


Despite Florida's economic funk and billions of dollars in recent budget cuts, the Legislature has cleared the way for Orlando's military training facilities to receive an unprecedented $9.1 million, local officials said Thursday.   Read More
FL: Crist has a $2.4-billion change of heart


Gov. Charlie Crist said "God bless Gov. Chiles" as the 2008 Legislature drew to a close last week, thankful for $2.4-billion in reserves made possible by the late Lawton Chiles.   Read More
HI: Options to gas-tax holiday sought


While gasoline prices continue to set new highs both nationally and locally, members of Hawaii's congressional delegation say Congress should explore options other than a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax to try to bring down costs.   Read More
ID: 'Win-win' situation


In April, the Idaho Water Resource Board announced it had completed its $26 million purchase of the Pristine Springs fish farm operation, a multi-party deal it said would solve surface water mitigation calls and provide the city of Twin Falls a way to solve its arsenic issues.   Read More
IL: Governor against plan to stop prison closing


Gov. Rod Blagojevich Thursday panned a plan aimed at stopping him from closing the state prison in Pontiac.   Read More
IL: Soldiers could get break on vehicle fees


Soldiers stationed overseas may soon get a break on their vehicle registration fees if a proposal that passed the Illinois House Wednesday makes it into law.   Read More
IL: Union -- Mandatory overtime hurts services at 24-hour state facilities


Mandatory overtime is jeopardizing services at 24-hour state facilities, a labor union representing state employees claimed in a report released Thursday. Jessica Becket believes the extended hours contributed to her accident.   Read More
IL: Forby -- Governor had talked about moving state jobs out of Springfield


State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, whose district could get the nearly 150 Illinois Department of Transportation jobs that Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration wants to move out of Springfield, said Thursday that Blagojevich told him in the past he wanted to move state jobs out of the capital city.   Read More
IL: Will the capital city be able to gamble on racing?


Harness racing up to nine months a year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds could help raise money for fairground improvements and the Sangamon County emergency dispatch system, according to Rep. Raymond Poe.   Read More
IL: Ill. senators get personal in dispute over pay raises  Registration Required


Democrats got personal Thursday in their dispute over legislative raises, with one state senator calling a colleague "filthy rich" and accusing House members of being hypocritical.   Read More
IL: 'Pay-to-play' ban goes to full Senate but hits a snag  Registration Required


A Senate panel unanimously approved a ban on "pay-to-play" for state contractors Thursday despite a last-minute threat from Senate President Emil Jones to add a provision proponents said would derail the legislation.   Read More
IL: Republicans propose moratorium on closing Illinois prisons  Registration Required


Republican lawmakers are proposing a ban on closing any Illinois prisons until a study is done on the needs of the state corrections system.   Read More
IL: Pay raise feud gets personal


The debate in the General Assembly over pay raises for lawmakers got personal Thursday, with a Senate Democrat chastising another for her wealth and blaming state representatives for using the Senate to get their money.   Read More
IL: Union for state workers wants mandatory overtime eliminated  Registration Required


It's not every day organized labor asks management for less overtime, but that's what the largest union representing state employees is doing as it negotiates a new contract with the Blagojevich administration.   Read More
IL: NIU's Cole Hall to be remodeled


The head of Northern Illinois University said the school has a $7.7 million plan to remodel the lecture hall where five people were slain by a suicidal gunman on Valentine's Day.   Read More
IL: 'Pay to play' ban advances, faces uncertain Senate future  Registration Required


Legislation to combat "pay to play" politics in Illinois advanced to the Senate floor Thursday, where it faces an uncertain future because of what the Senate president calls a "gaping loophole."   Read More
KS: Legislature's issues in 2008 mirrored nation's  Registration Required


Kansas lawmakers spent the 2008 session wrestling mightily with problems of national, even global scope, and their failures were nearly as big.   Read More
KS: Session marked by little progress


State political leaders on Thursday assigned praise and fault for the outcome of the 2008 legislative session the day after House and Senate ended the four-month marathon.   Read More
KS: Opinion of legislative session depends on perspective


If the 2008 legislative session produced unanimity in one area, it was that most everyone was glad when it ended.   Read More
KS: Budget includes bonds for pharmacy school


For the Kansas University School of Pharmacy, the Legislature?s final budget bill was just what the doctor ordered.   Read More
KS: Local issues played a role in session


For the second time in as many years, lawmakers said with a unified voice that Kansas hates funeral protests.   Read More
KY: Tuition increases scaled back


Facing some of the angriest public remarks by a group of Kentucky university presidents in memory, a panel gave the initial vote of approval Thursday to higher tuition at the state's public universities and community colleges, including five institutions whose requests were cut.   Read More
KY: Group urges cuts in some tuition hikes


Five of Kentucky's higher-education institutions -- including the state's community and technical college system -- should not be allowed to raise tuition and fees as much as they propose.   Read More
LA: Roads chief says program bankrupt


Louisiana's road-building agenda will suffer because a special program for 16 projects has gone bankrupt, state Transportation Secretary William Ankner said Thursday.   Read More
LA: House committee divided on method for cutting taxes


Members of a House tax-writing panel expressed support Thursday for a massive tax-cut bill, but they remained divided on what form it should take.   Read More
LA: Board finds no conflict in roles


The Louisiana Board of Ethics said Thursday that Sean Cummings, a private developer who also leads a city agency called the New Orleans Building Corp., can continue to steer two public developments because he does not have a "substantial" financial interest in the projects.   Read More
LA: Panel tacks on to outlay list


Lawmakers added $9.2 million in projects Thursday to the state's construction budget.   Read More
LA: Tuition increase battle likely


Bills that would increase tuition at the LSU and Southern University law schools breezed through a House committee Thursday, but both are expected to trigger controversy later.   Read More
LA: BRAC backs Jindal plans


The Baton Rouge Area Chamber formally backed several initiatives of the Jindal administration this week to ramp up state economic development efforts, including requests for $307 million more in deal-making money for big projects and a nearly $8 million increase to the Governor?s Rapid Response Fund.   Read More
LA: Tax break vote set


Lawmakers delayed a decision Thursday night on legislation that would eventually eliminate the state income tax.   Read More
LA: Panel plans income tax vote Monday


A House committee will decide Monday whether to recommend a total repeal of state income tax or reduce the tax.   Read More
LA: Higher-ed officials fear 'crippling' cuts


Proposed higher education budget cuts could "cripple" Louisiana's public colleges and universities if they are adopted, according to officials at the state Board of Regents.   Read More
LA: Panel adds few projects to budget


A House committee added a smattering of new projects to the state's annual construction budget late Thursday before moving it to the full House for more debate.   Read More
LA: Little left in tank for 2 local projects


Two New Orleans area projects to be financed by a special 4-cent state gasoline tax are in jeopardy because the revenue being generated is not enough to keep up with soaring construction costs, the head of the state's transportation agency said Thursday.   Read More
MA: College endowment tax is studied  Subscription Required


Massachusetts legislators, demonstrating a growing resentment against the wealth of elite universities in tight economic times, are studying a plan to levy a 2.5% annual tax on the portion of college endowments that exceed $1 billion.   Read More
MA: State agency seeks to cover 30,000 more uninsured  Registration Required


The authority overseeing the state's healthcare law is exploring ways to cover an additional 30,000 uninsured residents, a step that could increase the annual cost of the program by more than $250 million within a few years.   Read More
MD: Union won't back slots


Breaking with the state teachers union, the Montgomery County Education Association voted Wednesday night not to endorse Maryland's slot machine gambling referendum, according to a news release from Marylanders United to Stop Slots.   Read More
MD: Divided over slots


Large organizations are having as difficult a time with the issue of bringing slot machine gambling to Maryland as the General Assembly had in bringing the issue to the November ballot.   Read More
MI: Detroit cops seek state aid


Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings found herself in the awkward position Thursday of asking state lawmakers for $1 million to help run her crime lab, only a couple of weeks after shutting down the lab's firearms section for incorrectly classifying evidence in a double homicide.   Read More
MN: State GOP still trying to clean up its books


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Even as the state Republican Party calls DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken to task over problems with his personal finances, the party continues to try to clean up its own bookkeeping problems.   Read More
MN: I-35W Bridge Collapse / I-35W bridge collapse victims 'grateful' for compensation  Registration Required


Minnesota's creation of a $38 million fund won't erase the emotional or physical pain that survivors of last year's Interstate 35W bridge collapse feel, several victims said after Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the fund measure into law Thursday ? but it helps.   Read More
MN: Budget talks said to be going well, but ...  Registration Required


To hear Minnesota legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Pawlenty talk, budget negotiations aimed at closing a projected $935 million budget gap are going well.   Read More
MN: Minn. pays victims of bridge collapse  Registration Required


ST. PAUL, Minn. - A close-knit coalition of Minneapolis bridge collapse victims - some in wheelchairs and others still wearing casts - looked on yesterday as Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a $38 million package to compensate them for their injuries and losses.   Read More
MN: Duluth Air National Guard base may get $4.2 million for project


Duluth?s 148th Fighter Wing may receive money for a major construction project.   Read More
MO: Missouri professors protest campus spending


COLUMBIA, Mo. - Some University of Missouri professors are rallying against a plan that would boost their salaries - but only at the expense of other cuts on campus.   Read More
MO: MU faculty members voice concerns over cuts


COLUMBIA, Mo. - The frustrations of some MU faculty members over a shortage in state funding and a proposed plan to increase faculty salaries by freezing teaching positions were heard at a special meeting Thursday afternoon.   Read More
MS: Barbour wraps up Gaming Summit


Gov. Haley Barbour will call up the bill to place a moratorium on casinos during the upcoming special session, but will call the tax-incentive bill for casinos only if it has the needed support.   Read More
MS: Governor slammed by Dems


WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Thursday questioned Gov. Haley Barbour's use of billions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina recovery grants, saying too little was done to rebuild low-income rental housing and help low-income homeowners.   Read More
MS: Barbour signs bill killing reservoir boating fee


The boating fee for Ross Barnett Reservoir is officially dead. Gov. Haley Barbour today signed the appropriations bill funding the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District without change. The bill forced the District to repeal the fee, which was to be effective July 1.   Read More
MS: $600M port plan taken to task


WASHINGTON -- Mississippi's plans to transfer $600 million from post-Katrina housing assistance to restore the Port of Gulfport came under scrutiny in a congressional hearing Thursday as three lawmakers said the diversion hurts efforts to provide desperately needed housing for the state's poor.   Read More
MT: Hardin jail defaults on bonds


HARDIN, Mont. -- An empty $27 million jail in Hardin has defaulted on its bonds, as the city heads to court Friday to try to get out-of-state inmates into the facility.   Read More
MT: Auditor declines regents' request


The state legislative auditor said Thursday he cannot conduct a performance audit of two Montana student loan groups as the Board of Regents requested last week.   Read More
NC: Easley seeks money for children, workers and sex crime victims  Registration Required


Gov. Mike Easley on Thursday offered a teaser -- the good news only -- of his proposed state budget for 2009.   Read More
ND: Students debate sales tax  Registration Required


The public debate on the proposed half-cent Cass County economic development sales tax will be settled by voters on June 10.   Read More
NH: Cigarette tax likely to stay flat


House budget writers proposed delaying a potential 25-cent cigarette tax increase yesterday to see if a pending tax increase in neighboring Massachusetts will drive smokers to New Hampshire despite high gas prices.   Read More
NJ: Senate panel backs a school voucher plan


New Jersey taxpayers yesterday moved closer to making a clean -- if expensive -- break with the fractured market for bonds known as auction-rate securities.   Read More
NJ: Legislation on new water tax is delayed


A legislative committee yesterday delayed action on a bill that would ask voters this fall to dedicate a new water tax to finance $150 million in annual purchases of new parks and farmland. Lawmakers said they need time to consider also using the money for historical preservation projects.   Read More
NV: Lawmakers to see budget cuts


Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons will submit a package of budget cuts to lawmakers for their approval to satisfy the requirements of state law, his attorney says.   Read More
NV: Union pushed; Trop fell


The owners of the Tropicana might have filed for bankruptcy protection regardless of labor union tactics.   Read More
NY: Senate wants state agencies and public authorities to release spending reports


Members of the state Senate are pushing for an "Accountability in Government Spending" plan that they say will save taxpayers money, reduce government waste and ensure greater transparency and accountability.   Read More
OH: Dann's ethics form for Washington trip missing


As a state senator, Marc Dann railed against then-Gov. Bob Taft for failing to disclose golf outings and other freebies on his annual financial disclosure statements filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission.   Read More
OK: House passes electric utility measure  Registration Required


Legislation that would authorize investor-owned electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives to serve new customers in annexed areas of cities was approved by the Oklahoma House Thursday despite opponents who said it could harm municipal power companies.   Read More
OK: Lawmaker encourages disaster funding  Registration Required


A state lawmaker is encouraging the Legislature to approve a plan to secure state dollars for emergency disasters in Oklahoma.   Read More
OK: Ministers appealing assessor's decision to end pastoral tax exemption


ARDMORE, Okla. -Carter County Assessor Kim Cain recently ended a controversial property tax break on ministers? private residences that had been in effect for approximately 14 years ?? but that hasn?t ended the controversy.   Read More
PA: Montco proposes novel funding plan for road project  Registration Required


With federal and state funding prospects looking grim, Montgomery County officials have devised an unorthodox plan to pay for a road linking downtown Norristown to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a $160 million project considered essential to the community's long-delayed revitalization.   Read More
RI: Tribe ready for share of state's gambling money  Registration Required


After refusing for more than two years, the Narragansett Indian tribe is now ready to accept its share of the state's gambling revenue if Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas can get clarification about precisely how the money can be used.   Read More
SC: House plan will run out of gas


Maintenance at S.C. State University will have to wait, and school buses will run out of fuel by spring, under a tighter House budget passed Thursday.   Read More
SC: SC House approves budget, bill heads to conference committee  Registration Required


The House approved a final version of the state's $7 billion budget Thursday that falls short of meeting a basic state function: getting children to schoolhouses.   Read More
SD: Tax break would bring no relief


While a summer holiday from gas taxes might seem like a relief for financially strapped South Dakotans, it would do more harm than good, according to state Sen. Alan Hoerth and former Clinton administration Energy Secretary Federico Pena.   Read More
TN: Tennessee higher-education officials work to keep tuition hikes below 10 percent  Registration Required


Tennessee higher-education leaders pledged Thursday to try to keep tuition hikes below 10 percent for in-state, undergraduate students, despite Gov. Phil Bredesen's plans to cut $55 million from their operating budgets.   Read More
TN: Bredesen focuses on schools but tightens belt


Gov. Phil Bredesen maintained his dedicated stance to state education on Thursday as he discussed the elimination of new funding for K-12 schools and a reduction in current funding for colleges and universities.   Read More
TN: Officials revisit tuition increases  Registration Required


Higher-education officials say they hope to keep tuition increases below 10 percent despite a $55 million cut in state funding.   Read More
TN: State of Tennessee will shed 2,000 jobs


State workers welcomed news from Gov. Phil Bredesen on Wednesday that his administration hopes to use voluntary buyouts rather than layoffs to trim the payroll by about 2,000 employees.   Read More
TN: Nashville nonprofits can apply in new grant program


Nashville nonprofit organizations have about three weeks to apply for $2 million in Metro government grants under a new program Mayor Karl Dean announced Thursday.   Read More
US: Bill aids counties paying to jail illegal immigrants


WASHINGTON -- Iowa counties would be eligible for additional federal dollars to help pay the costs of jailing illegal immigrants under a bill the House unanimously approved Thursday.   Read More
US: Facebook safeguards will protect young users


HARTFORD, Conn. - Facebook, the world's second-largest social networking Web site, will add more than 40 safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyberbullies, attorneys general from several states said Thursday.   Read More
VA: Group critical of gas, sales tax ideas


With the governor preparing to unveil his transportation proposal next week, a group yesterday warned that the two types of tax increases being debated by Democrats would both disproportionately hurt the poor.   Read More