State budgets

For a third spending cycle in a row, there was tension over funding for the Kentucky Wired public private partnership deal.

Illinois lawmakers are advancing a bill that allocates $2.7 billion of the state's ARPA relief to pay down a $4.5 billion federal unemployment insurance loan.

Gov. Phil Murphy proposes to make an additional $1.3 billion deposit into the state’s Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund.

The state's workaround to the cap on state and local tax deductions in the 2017 federal tax law might be artificially elevating the figures.

Florida's economy is stabilizing from the COVID-19 pandemic, but nature and man may bring other threats to its recovery.

Thirty states would have been affected by the plan to claw back $8 billion in unspent ARPA funds to offset the FY22 appropriation.

“Many states are reporting revenue surpluses and rebounding economies, in part as a result of federal aid to state governments.”

A federal memo on IIJA dollars outlines Biden administration priorities but doesn’t tie states’ hands when it comes to funding, the transportation secretary said.

Minnesota's February forecast adds $1.5 billion to the $7.7 billion forecast just a few months ago.

A Michigan House Republican plan would direct $1.15 billion of grants to local municipal pensions that agree to abide by certain conditions.

Pandemic-related aid helped raise the proportion of state revenues coming from the federal government to record highs in fiscal year 2020, Pew Research found.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown called the availability of the surplus "a pivotal moment" for the state.

High material costs and labor shortages are expected to persist through 2022 just as states and localities are planning how to spend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act money.

Fitch's commentary suggests a rating upgrade from BBB-minus is in the offing if the governor's proposed budget passes.

The Volcker Alliance looks at the state’s outstanding municipal bonds and $83 billion in other obligations and suggests improved transparency and oversight.

Between unspent money from last year and excess revenues, Oregon lawmakers have nearly $1 billion of extra money to spend.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's proposed budget provides mostly one-time spending hikes, makes a modest deposit into the rainy day fund, and offers targeted tax relief.

Susana Mendoza argues that a budget plan that would use surpluses to pay down bills and raise pension contributions shows the state is on the right fiscal path.

Restricting the use of IIJA funds for new highway capacity "flies in the face" of Congressional intent, said Sen. Mitt Romney.

Illinois' burdensome pension tab and questions over whether revenue can keep pace with spending in the long term pose strains, but the governor's plan to use surpluses to pay bolster the rainy day fund and pension contributions and pay down bills moves the state in the right direction.