For the US: What is your state doing for the budget shortfall?

[jlai]

Just tossing the question out there for comparison purpose.

My state suggested closing some small government agencies.

[nerdycool]

Sorry, can't help you. My state actually has a surplus

Yeah, I know the article was written in 2009. But not much has changed since then & we're still rolling in dough.

[Aceon6]

The Massachusetts governor has proposed a spending freeze for all agencies except education.

So far this year, tax revenues are slightly better than expected, so the impact may not be as bad as in other states. Bonus is our "rainy day" fund, although I think a good chunk of it will go towards this year's snow removal costs.

[BigB08822]

Louisiana has drastically cut higher education.

[skipaway]

North Carolina, for the first time in 87 years, elected an all Republican state house and senate (with a democratic gov.). Of course, not sure if it'll make a difference. They've just started their session and so far no real solutions have been put forth.

[barbk]

Sorry, can't help you. My state actually has a surplus

Yeah, I know the article was written in 2009. But not much has changed since then & we're still rolling in dough.

Congrats, Nerdycool. I think Wyoming (not my state, but close) is similar.

Colorado is cutting higher ed (yet again), and will probably make some changes to K-12 structural funding, and possibly adjust prison sentences. There isn't much else to do on the cut side -- Medicaid, K-12 schools, and prisons take up the vast majority of the budget. They have increased the tax rates employees and employers pay into the state retirement system, though it still isn't close to being fully funded. They've also cut back on some of the tax credits, particularly those for dubious purposes (you could buy a $100,000 Tesla all-electric sports car and Colorado would let you take a tax credit of $42,000. I'm not making this up. )

[Grannyfan]

My state, Arkansas, also ended FY2010 in the black. We are not rolling in dough, however, but we do have a conservative Democrat governor, Mike Beebe, who has good sense and the ability to work with the legislature.

[sailornyanko]

According to one site the State of Mexico had a huge budget for last year which was 1,340,580,000 pesos which is over 100 million dollars. Been spending like crazy improving roads and healthcare building hospitals everywhere. It's the state with the largest budget because it's the most populated in the country.

They even had a huge project creating a sort of dam after a landslide in a forest last year killed over 30 people in a federal highway February 2010. They really did a great job fixing that mess.

Tax revenue has improved about 7% in comparison to 2009 and there's rumors they are going to cancel or at least reduce the home owner tax and might reduce the car ownership tax as well. I think there's two new major hospitals that are going to open this year in the State. We're doing pretty well I guess!

[Morry Stillwell]

Just tossing the question out there for comparison purpose.

My state suggested closing some small government agencies.

California - business as usual. TAX TAX TAX

[CantALoop]

Hawai'i is running a huge deficit and is trying to compensate by increasing taxes on alcohol, soda, vehicles, and pensioners earning more than 37K, but not the general excise tax. I'm for the first three taxes because it's not like the first two are needed, and we have too many vehicles anyway.

[mikey]

Texas made a huge media statement about how we didn't have a budget shortfall and didn't need federal stimulus money, and then rather silently took all those available funds to pay off shortfalls that supposedly never existed in t \he first place... http://www.burntorangereport.com/dia...stimulus-funds And Rick Perry is planning his presidential campaign... be afraid.

[jlai]

Texas made a huge media statement about how we didn't have a budget shortfall and didn't need federal stimulus money, and then rather silently took all those available funds to pay off shortfalls that supposedly never existed in t \he first place... http://www.burntorangereport.com/dia...stimulus-funds And Rick Perry is planning his presidential campaign... be afraid.

I think the House budget recommended closing 4 junior colleges while the Senate recommended keeping them.

Anyway, there was a big Texas Monthly article on the budget shortfall a few months ago, and the author mentions how many agencies need to go away in order to balance the budget. Politically I don't see that happening. Some articles also talk about dipping into the rainy day fund--problem is that that fund won't plug the budget hole.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Louisiana has drastically cut higher education.

Ain't that the truth. Thank goodness UNO is only suffering about 9-10% of a cut, but man times are scary.

[Matryeshka]

Bah! Education is for them-thar yankees. We don't need no education! Or mental hospitals either, a lot of those in Louisiana are closing, which contributes to our already absurdly high homeless population. What's most depressing is the state shut down the *only* mental health hospital for teens in the southern part of the state, and many of the kiddies in that hospital were from homeless/itenerant families. Even more than education, health care has really taken a beating in Louisiana.

[PrincessLeppard]

Nebraska's governor wants to cut funds for education. Sigh.

[Matryeshka]

Sigh. Cutting education does seem to be a classic. In another ten years, lawmakers will be scratching their heads wondering why all of a sudden we need to build more prisons.

[Ageless]

Illinois is cutting services and raising taxes and we still are way in the red. On top of that they'll be spending millions on another trial trying to convict our former governor!

[Hannahclear]

The Massachusetts governor has proposed a spending freeze for all agencies except education.

So far this year, tax revenues are slightly better than expected, so the impact may not be as bad as in other states. Bonus is our "rainy day" fund, although I think a good chunk of it will go towards this year's snow removal costs.

I think they are cutting local aid by quite a bit, aren't they?

[milanessa]

Our new governor (Florida) is unveiling his proposals tomorrow. We have a deficit of about 3.5 billion. Heaven help us.

[attyfan]

CA is thinking of releasing more prisoners ... under our version of "3 strikes", there are a lot doing life for nonviolent minor crimes, due to their prior records. Also, cutting everything they can (education, esp. higher ed; health care, etc.).