Republicans Win Most Legislative Seats in Generations
Editor's note: This story has been updated.State legislatures in 2011 will have Republicans occupying a clear majority of seats nationwide, giving the party vastly expanded power over state policy and...
View ArticleVoters Send Mixed Messages on Ballot Measures
In an election-year marked by anti-tax and anti-government themes, voters in Colorado and Massachusetts went against the tide to reject the most sweeping tax cuts to appear on Tuesday's ballots....
View ArticleFacing Big Deficits, a Dozen New Governors Rule Out Tax Hikes
Many of the candidates elected governor on Tuesday (November 2) are vowing to slash spending while rejecting higher taxes. Republicans, in particular, hope to emulate New Jersey's Chris Christie. Also:...
View ArticleNew State GOP Leaders Itching to Get Started
Starting in January, Republicans will have more thorough control of state government than at any time in recent history. Some have already started drafting plans for change.
View ArticleGuide to State Ballot Measures for 2010
Voters considered a wide array of ballot measures this year on issues ranging from property taxes to health care to abortion.
View ArticleState Legislative Group Lends Backing to Health Care Law
TODAY'S TAKE: While many state attorneys general are suing to stop the new federal health care law from taking effect, 71 state lawmakers from 26 states want to join the suit on the Obama's...
View ArticleStates Look to Santa for Revenue Gift
Tax collections are rising in most states after three declining years and officials hope the coming holiday period will boost sales tax revenue. But tax receipts still have not returned to...
View ArticleSteele Faces Revolt Among GOP Governors
TODAY'S TAKE: With the 2012 presidential election cycle set to begin in earnest, some Republican governors are bluntly calling for the party's national chairman, Michael Steele, to be replaced.
View ArticleUncertainty of Bush-Era Tax Cuts Leaves States in Budget Limbo
TODAY'S TAKE: Congress left town for the Thanksgiving break without deciding whether to extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts. The answer will have a big impact on state revenues.
View ArticleGovernors Play No Role in Presidential Elections, Analysis Finds
TODAY'S TAKE: Democrats mourning the loss of governorships in presidential battleground states can take comfort from a new analysis by the University of Minnesota, which finds no correlation between...
View ArticleSchool Reform Engine May Be Losing Momentum
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Obama administration's education policies have drawn widespread support in the states. But implementing them will be an expensive enterprise for state budgets to sustain at a time...
View ArticleNew Governors in DC to Meet with Obama
TODAY'S TAKE: At least 23 soon-to-be governors are in Washington, D.C., to meet with President Obama and discuss the changing federal-state dynamic after last month's electoral landslide for the GOP.
View ArticleFuture of Popular Build America Bonds Program in Doubt
The Obama administration helped financially distressed state and local governments by subsidizing a borrowing program for infrastructure projects. The program is scheduled to end Dec. 31, although the...
View ArticleHealth Care Flares Up As New Governors Visit Washington
TODAY'S TAKE: Two incoming Republican governors, Rick Scott of Florida and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, challenged federal officials -- including President Obama -- over the new health care law...
View ArticleMid-Year Budget Gaps: $26.7 Billion
TODAY'S TAKE: A new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures finds 15 states with a combined $26.7 billion in budget shortfalls midway through the current fiscal year. Some 35 states...
View ArticleWhat Do Governors Look For in a Chief of Staff?
Some value administrative skills, while others prefer political savvy, but the one thing all 28 of the nation's new governors can't live without is loyalty.
View ArticleEmptying the Pork Barrel Would Hit Some States Especially Hard
There is growing sentiment in Washington to do away with "earmarking," the much-maligned practice by which members of Congress direct federal dollars to specific pet projects back home. But you may be...
View ArticleStates Taking a Closer Look at Controversial Natural Gas Drilling Method
How dangerous is it to blast natural gas out of the ground? It may depend on which chemicals are used in the process. But the answer to that question is hard to get.
View ArticleSales, Income Taxes Drive Modest State Revenue Increases
State tax collections improved slightly in the third quarter of 2009, the Census Bureau says in a new report. The increases are due mostly to higher sales and personal income tax collections, which are...
View ArticleActivists Seek New Tactics to Break Old Pension Deals
Conventional wisdom has long held that pension contracts negotiated with existing and retired public employees are sacrosanct. That principle is about to be tested in legislatures and in courts.
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