California
Democrats Eye Wide Range of Tax Hikes
Los Angeles Times
As lawmakers hunt for politically palatable solutions to the swelling budget shortfall, some Democrats are proposing unorthodox ways to generate cash. Strip clubs, six-packs, grocery bags and iTunes downloads are all in their sights. So are gas guzzlers and yachtsand a tax loophole for criminals. GOP lawmakers say the majority party simply has an insatiable appetite for taking money from Californians.
Posted Thursday, May 8
Georgia
Law Opens Way for High-Deductible Health Plans
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation aimed at making high-deductible health-insurance plans more affordable and more widely available. Paired with new health savings accounts, the high-deductible plans encourage consumers to be more responsible for their own health care, Purdue said.
Massachusetts
Lawmakers Eye Taxing College Endowments
Boston Globe
Lawmakers desperate for additional revenue are eyeing the endowments of deep-pocketed private colleges to bolster the state's coffers by more than $1 billion a year, asserting that the schools' rising fortunes undercut their nonprofit status. Legislators have asked state finance officials to study a plan that would impose a 2.5 percent annual assessment on colleges with endowments over $1 billion.
Tennesee Governor Plans Buyouts to Cut 2,000 Jobs Nashville Tennessean
Tennessee state workers welcomed news from Gov. Phil Bredesen that his administration hopes to use voluntary buyouts rather than layoffs to trim the payroll by about 2,000 employees.
California
Senate Leader Drops Recall Push Against GOP Foe
Sacramento Bee
Citing the prospects of another lengthy state budget stalemate, Democratic state Senate leader Don Perata dropped his campaign to recall Republican Sen. Jeff Denhama development that surprised even Denham. Perata launched the recall effort after Denham angered him during last year's 53-day state budget stalemate by joining his GOP colleagues in voting against the spending plan.
Posted Wednesday, May 7
Texas
Oil Boom Brings $10.7 Billion Surplus
Houston Chronicle
The nation may be on the verge of a recession, but the Texas economy is doing well enough for Comptroller Susan Combs to predict that the legislature will have a $10.7 billion surplus when it convenes in January. Much of the extra money can be attributed to record oil prices: Oil and gas employment in Texas has been booming, the comptroller's office reported.
Alabama Lawmakers OK $2 Billion Budget Huntsville Times
The Alabama Legislature sent Gov. Bob Riley a $2.01 billion general fund budget that depends, in part, on an appeals court's restoring $63 million to the fund and an uptick in the state's economy.
California GOP Leader: No Tax Hikes Sacramento Bee
Saying the ailing economy is putting enough stress on California taxpayers, Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill said Republicans will oppose any tax hikes to bridge the state's budget deficit.
Georgia
Governor Signs Tighter Dog-Fighting Law
Atlanta Journal-Constitutions
Five months after Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick was sentenced to prison for his involvement in dog fighting, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation stiffening Georgia's dog-fighting laws, which the Humane Society of the United States says were among the weakest in the country. The new law makes it illegal to train, transport, sell or own a fighting dog. It also will be illegal to promote, advertise or attend a dog fight.
Winfrey Boosting Pennsylvania Puppy-Mill Crackdown Philadelphia Inquirer
Talk about a lobbyist with clout. Oprah Winfrey is planning to appeal to viewers to back a crackdown on puppy mills in Pennsylvania, reading excerpts from a letter Gov. Ed Rendell sent her last month seeking support for the legislation.
California
GOP Leader: No Tax Hikes to Fix Deficit
Sacramento Bee
Saying the ailing economy is putting enough stress on taxpayers, Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill said Republicans will oppose any tax hikes to bridge California's budget deficit. Cogdill suggested the deficit, which he pegged at $16 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, could be wiped out through service cuts and tapping into the reserves of voter-approved initiatives.
Colorado
Ballot Measure Targets ... Ballot Measures
Denver Post
Colorado lawmakers approved a ballot measure that would ask voters in November to make it harder to amend the constitution by increasing the number of signatures needed to put constitutional amendments on the ballot, while decreasing the number needed to change state law. Most lawmakers agreed that there have been too many initiatives changing the state constitution, sometimes at odds with each other.
Posted Tuesday, May 6
Ohio
A.G. May Face Impeachment in Sex Scandal
Akron Beacon Journal
With Attorney General Marc Dann refusing demands from fellow Democrats that he resign over a sexual-harassment scandal and an extramarital affair with a subordinate, Gov. Ted Strickland said Democrats will begin drafting an impeachment resolution against Dann. Republican House Speaker Jon Husted said his chamber, which takes the first step in any impeachment, was already reviewing the process.
Rhode Island
Governor Vetoes 24-Hour Gambling
Providence Journal
While lawmakers have been counting on round-the-clock gambling on weekends and holidays at casinos in Newport and Lincoln to raise upward of $14 million in new money for the cash-strapped state, Gov. Donald Carcieri has vetoed the legislation. In his veto message, Carcieri repeated his reservations about forcing expanded hours on two communities that have said they do not want it.
Connecticut
Lawmakers OK Big Cuts in Greenhouse Gases
Hartford Courant
The state Senate gave finaland unanimouslegislative approval to a tough new bill requiring drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions connected to global warming, and the GOP leader in the Senate said he expects Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell to sign it into law. The bill would force state agencies come up with strategies to meet the new reduction goals and start measuring the state's progress.
California
Cash Crunch Adds Pressure for On-Time Budget
Sacramento Bee
California is facing a cash crisis this summer, putting pressure on elected officials to submit an on-time state budget or risk asking taxpayers to pay a premium on loans. A lack of cash reserves this year combined with lagging revenues has led officials to predict that the state will run out of cash as early as August, giving lawmakers a smaller-than-expected window to strike a budget deal.
$5 Billion Sought for Crumbling California Courthouses Los Angeles Times
Higher fees for parking tickets, traffic school, criminal convictions and civil court filings would pay for $5 billion in improvements to California's deteriorating courthouses under a proposal announced by the state's chief justice and legislative leaders.
The Nation
Gas-Tax Holidays Getting State-Level Push
New York Times
Rising frustration with gas prices has led two presidential candidates, Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton, to promote proposals to suspend the federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But state gas taxes, which run as high as 45.5 cents a gallon, often add far more to the price of gas than the 18.4-cent federal excise tax. So lawmakers and candidates at the state level have been getting into the act.
Posted Monday, May 5
Colorado
Speaker to Take Budget Fix to Voters
Denver Post
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said he will take his case for undoing revenue-limiting mandates of the state's Taxpayer Bill of Rights directly to voters, a move sure to ignite a fierce ballot battle. Romanoff said collecting the 76,000 signatures needed for a ballot initiative will be easier than persuading two-thirds of the House and Senate to support the proposal and that he will pull the plug on the stalled legislation.
Arkansas Revenues Up Slightly from 07 Arkansas New Bureau
Arkansas state revenues came in near target in April, beating the fiscal forecast by 2.4 percent, or $12.9 million. But while net available general revenues totaled $552.1 million in April, that was just $1 million more than in April 2007.
South Carolina
Study Set for Statewide WiMax
The State of Columbia
A fight is looming over whether South Carolina should become the first state to adopt WiMax technology statewide, providing wireless Internet to every home, school and business. Some lawmakers say only rural areas should get access; others want it available to everyone for an affordable rate. House lawmakers voted to appoint a panel of seven private-sector tech experts to study options and make recommendations.

