States begin long climb to recovery

The overriding theme of the closing 2010 legislative session was the tremendous challenge of balancing the new fiscal year that begins Thursday, as lawmakers struggled to erase more than $100 billion in budget gaps. The way they did it will resonate in states for a long time.

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Controlling State Spending
State budget cuts: across the board, and at cross-purposes

Faced with historic budget deficits, states used blunt force to make deep cuts in 2010. In some cases, those cuts may come back to cost money later. Read the full story

As states cut budgets, business tax credits survive (July 6)
In some states, pension pain yields budget gains (May 20)
Sprouting springtime revenue (May 6)
Shaving costs with reverse auctions (April 23)
Some cuts may hit twice as hard (April 13)
Thank God It's Furlough Friday? (April 2)
Vermont's pension experiment (March 25)
Register your car, save a state park (March 24)
States renege on local aid (Feb. 17)
States tackling public employee retirement benefits in 2010 (Feb. 19)

Creating Revenue:
States choose short-term solutions to long-term problems

Most states chose to put off major revenue-raising decisions this year, cobbling together budgets with modest, targeted tax increases while banking on Congress to come through with more money for Medicaid. Few made sweeping changes to their tax systems or made concrete plans on what they will do when the federal stimulus ends — even though most agree that states face at least two more years of budget gaps. Read the full story

How cap-and-trade revenues went to fix budgets (June 26)
In NH, a budget gap that never goes away (June 21)
A tax reform test in Maine (June 7)
State budgets hitting bottom (June 4)
States limit sweeping tax hikes - so far (May 18)
Sprouting springtime revenue (May 6)
The 'Amazon tax' war escalates (April 26)
Some states like sweet taste of soda, candy taxes (April 13)
Marijuana bills tempt cash-starved states (April 5)
Do you want a tax with that? (March 3)

Managing Health Care:
With Medicaid, states face painful cuts,  few choices

As health care reform dominated debate nationwide, states struggled to wring budget savings out of Medicaid and waited to see how the new federal law would affect them. States saw their options limited, but many still cut spending. Arizona ended coverage for insulin pumps. Kansas no longer will cover cough and cold medications. Virginia eliminated optometrist coverage for adults. Read the full story

Governors ramp up lobbying for Medicaid dollars (July 1)
States hope for victory in lawsuits (June 14)
Health care reform's X factor (May 27)
N.H.'s new way on retiree health costs (May 12)
Rhode Island's Medicaid gamble (May 11)
Time running short for Medicaid help (May 4)
What Medicaid cuts look like (March 16)
Patchy public health (March 1)

Securing Public Safety:
For state prisons, cuts present new problems

Corrections was an easy target for lawmakers looking for ways to cut state spending, but prison officials worry some cuts could be counterproductive. Kansas slashed funding for a nationally recognized program aimed at helping ex-offenders stay out of trouble. Oklahoma eliminated all sex-offender treatment slots. Many states resorted to worker layoffs or furloughs. Read the full story

Driver's licenses for immigrants becoming rarer July 1)
Choking laws signal attention to domestic violence (May 28)
Smaller prison count breaks 38-year trend (March 17)
The ever-growing sex offender registry (April 17)
Smaller prison count breaks 38-year trend (March 17)
A crack in the prison door (Feb. 24)
Report charts homeland security failures (Feb. 17)

Rethinking Education:
States and schools in a race against time

With the federal government dangling billions in education dollars, many legislatures embraced the Obama administration’s reform efforts. New York and Connecticut increased the number of charter schools while Maryland and Kentucky adopted new common academic standards. Meanwhile, tight state budgets continued to clobber school systems, including higher education, sparking student walkouts and protests. Read the full story

Great expectations at community colleges (June 15)
Will students begin to lose HOPE? (June 4)
Recession hits state preschool programs (May 5)
More states drop out of  'Race' (April 23)
Still too many schools? (March 22)
States weigh national ed standards (March 15)
Taking the state out of state colleges (March 10)

Fixing Infrastructure:
States find road money hard to come by

Most states used federal transportation stimulus dollars to patch roads and bridges. Vermont approved the largest transportation package in state history, in part by using stimulus money. Others tried different tactics. Kansas agreed to a 10-year plan, partially paid for by more bonding and a higher sales tax. Georgia will ask voters whether to increase the sales tax for transportation. Read the full story

States ride broadband wave (June 22)
Georgia lawmakers break transportation gridlock (May 24)
Transportation woes prompt Pennsylvania session (May 4)
The not-so-fast track for high-speed rail (Feb. 25)
High-speed rail funds en route (Jan. 28)