The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about

In State of the Union Speech, Obama Targets Jobs, Energy

With much of his focus on jobs and the economy, the president called for policies aiming to spur a “rising, thriving middle class” and quicken the country’s slow climb from recession. But in the wide-ranging speech, he left plenty more for states to chew on — particularly in energy and environmental issues.

State Tax Incentives for Economic Development

This collection of research highlights steps that states can take to create fiscally sound state tax incentives and to determine whether existing incentives are generating solid economic returns.

Avoiding Blank Checks

Two up-front steps can help states create fiscally sound tax incentives. When policy makers omit these steps, they leave their states vulnerable to unexpected budget challenges.

Interactive: Job Gains and Losses 2007-2012

While most states posted modest gains, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Hampshire were among seven states that lost jobs.

Evidence Counts

A report by the Pew Center on the States concludes that 13 states are leading the way in generating much-needed answers about tax incentives’ effectiveness. Twelve states have mixed results. Half the states have not taken the basic steps needed to know whether their incentives are effective. The study highlights a wealth of promising approaches states have taken to help lawmakers find those answers.

Job Numbers Show Nevada Economy Finally Turning a Corner

TODAY'S TAKE: For the first time in five years, Nevada added more private-sector jobs than it lost in 2011, according to figures the state released Tuesday (February 28).

Election Is About Economics, Governors Say

Governors of both parties say the presidential contest will be determined by the economic climate that prevails throughout the country in the weeks leading up to November.

In South Dakota, Plenty of Jobs, Not Enough Workers

South Dakota has so many open private-sector jobs that its governor recently signed a contract with Manpower, the international staffing firm, to recruit 1,000 workers from other states to fill them.

States Try to Help Veterans Find Jobs

With U.S forces out of Iraq and combat troops slated to leave Afghanistan in 2013, states are readying for an influx of returning troops who will be looking for work.

Detention Center Fails to Help Impoverished Rhode Island Town

PUBLIC SAFETY BEAT: A struggling Rhode Island community hoped a facility for federal prisoners would be a boost to local finances. After 18 years, things have only gotten worse.

'Enterprise Zones' Expand, Draw Scrutiny

ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: For decades, states have singled out blighted areas within their borders and offered tax credits to businesses that invest in them. But critics say such "enterprise zones" have expanded too sharply, at too great a cost to taxpayers.

Special Sessions: A Calculated Risk

The legislative year ended for most states during the summer, but special sessions are bringing many lawmakers back to their capitals. The success of such sessions can depend on the behind-the-scenes deal-making that precedes them.

Sarah Emmans: States' Revenue Estimating

Sarah McLaughlin Emmans explains the process states use to forecast revenue, discusses the challenges that they continue to face, and outlines measures some states have used to improve accuracy.

Connecticut Approves Bipartisan Jobs Plan

ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: State lawmakers in Connecticut eased business regulations, created new tax credits and authorized infrastructure improvements in an overwhelmingly bipartisan, $626 million job-creation effort.

Study: California Is Best at Retaining Skilled Workers

ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: Despite its well-known fiscal and economic problems, California is best at preventing "brain drain," according to a new report.

Perry Outscores Romney, Huntsman in Jobs Analysis

TODAY'S TAKE: Texas Governor Rick Perry has a stronger track record on job creation than two fellow Republican presidential candidates with gubernatorial experience, a new study finds.

States Await Outcome of Wrangling Over Obama Jobs Plan

TODAY'S TAKE: President Obama's $447 billion jobs bill lacks the votes needed to pass the Democratic Senate, let alone the Republican House of Representatives. Lawmakers now will consider individual parts, including aid to states.

Florida Governor Revises Goal of 700,000 New Jobs

TODAY'S TAKE: When he campaigned for Florida governor last year, Rick Scott said he would create 700,000 jobs in seven years - on top of the million that state economists were already projecting during that period. Scott now says his job target was always 700,000, not 1.7 million.

Michigan Bucks National Trend on Tech Jobs

TODAY'S TAKE: The United States lost 116,000 high-tech jobs between 2009 and 2010, but Michigan countered the trend by gaining 2,700 positions - more than any other state, according to a new study.

Criticism May Ground Missouri 'Aerotropolis'

The dream of subsidizing a costly new air cargo hub at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis is coming up against skeptical state lawmakers, who see it as a potential boondoggle.

White House Offers Details of American Jobs Act

TODAY'S TAKE: As President Obama tries to gather support for his jobs bill, the White House is pointing out how the legislation would benefit residents in each state.

Obama Pitches American Jobs Act: What's in It For the States?

TODAY'S TAKE: Though dominated by cuts in federal Social Security taxes, the $447 billion jobs plan President Obama introduced on Thursday night (September 8) includes proposals with great significance to the states.

Georgia Work$ Jobs Program Holds Lessons for Obama

President Obama next week is expected to propose a national version of Georgia Work$, an eight-year-old state program that places Georgia residents receiving unemployment checks into unpaid training positions in an effort to get them full-time jobs. The program is popular on both sides of the aisle, including with congressional Republicans, but it comes with its own set of challenges.

Special Legislative Sessions to Focus on Jobs

ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: Deficit reduction may be the talk in Washington, but job creation is the priority in the states. Connecticut and Missouri are planning special sessions on economic development.

Summer Jobs Programs Get Private Fund Infusion

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: States and cities may not have money to fund summer job programs, but the country's largest employer does. Walmart has committed $25 million on youth programs this summer.

Can Nonprofit News Survive?

Online startups such as Minnesota's MinnPost, The Texas Tribune, the Connecticut Mirror and California Watch have established themselves as must-reads among aficionados of statehouse news. The question is whether they can raise enough money to keep going.

State Hiring Freezes Tend to Melt Away

It's easy for a governor to announce a halt to new state employment. It's very difficult to maintain it.

Governors Set the Agenda For a Lean 2011

In yet another tough budget year, the nation's governors are generally setting a course for contracting the ambitions and role of state government.

As Unemployment Insurance Debts Mount, Interest Payments Loom

States have borrowed $42 billion from the federal government to continue paying unemployment benefits to people who can't find work. As it stands now, they'll have to begin paying interest on that tab this fall.

Will Health Care Law Be a Job-Killer for Insurance Brokers?

Health insurance brokers started feeling a pinch in their paychecks last month as a result of the national health care law. Many wonder whether online insurance exchanges will make them obsolete.

Tough Times Bring Brazen Sales Pitches

TODAY'S TAKE: Governors are known to make friendly wagers with one another when their states' sports teams meet on the field. These days, they're also competing brazenly with each other for investors.

A Mixed Track Record for Idea to Lure Jobs

TODAY'S TAKE: Republican candidates for governor in Iowa and Ohio have proposed similar strategies for attracting businesses to their respective states. Both former U.S. Rep John Kasich of Ohio and former Gov. Terry Branstad in Iowa want to replace a state agency tasked with the job with a board of business leaders that reports to the governor, but other states that have tried that tack have encountered problems.

Georgia Work$ Expands

A nationally recognized re-employment program called Georgia Work$ is expanding to include all jobless workers, whether they're receiving unemployment benefits or not. New Hampshire and Missouri have copied the successful on-the-job training program that already has given thousands of job seekers a chance at a new career.

When Jobs Go Away for Good

The federal economic stimulus law greatly expanded a program for re-training workers whose jobs have gone overseas. As states encourage workers to take advantage of what is considered the Cadillac of unemployment insurance, applications for aid have begun piling up.

Subsidized Jobs: A Faint Echo of the New Deal

A small piece of the federal stimulus program is going toward funding jobs in the private sector. Even conservatives seem to like the idea.

Why Summer Jobs Are Getting Harder to Find

Last summer, the federal stimulus helped put nearly 320,000 disadvantaged teens and young adults to work. As this summer approaches, most of the stimulus dollars are gone and temporary jobs are harder for young people to find.

Work Shared, Jobs Spared

A program called work sharing is helping thousands of companies avoid layoffs by cutting workers' hours and making up some of the lost wages with state unemployment benefits. At no additional cost to states, work sharing helps businesses retain skilled employees, allows workers to stay on the job and keep their benefits and boosts the local economy. So far, only 17 states offer the job-saving program, but at least seven more states legislatures are considering bills to provide the widely praised unemployment insurance option. Congress may give states another reason to try the program -- federal incentive funds.

Study: Which States Lose Out to China?

TODAY'S TAKE: Since 2001, when China entered the World Trade Organization, at least 2.4 million American jobs have been lost as a result of increased U.S. trade with that country, according to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank. The study finds that the states that have lost the most jobs to China - as a percentage of their overall employment - are New Hampshire, North Carolina, Massachusetts, California and Oregon.

Summary of the Oregon State of the State Address

Term-limited Oregon Governor Ted Kulogonski used his final state of the state speech to look back on his eight years in office - a period, he noted, that covered not one but two recessions. But Kulongoski, a Democrat, also April 2 called on lawmakers to take a longer view of the state's finances and make decisions to avoid what he called a "budgetary cliff" caused by the end of federal stimulus dollars and the exhaustion of the state's rainy day fund.

Spinning the Stimulus

Economists credit the federal stimulus package for helping bring an end to the recession. Most governors say the money prevented more drastic spending cuts and tax increases in their states. But a few Republican governors who took the money contend the stimulus was a mistake.

Summary of the Minnesota State of the State Address

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty sounded familiar themes in his final state of the state address, calling for cuts in business taxes and a cap on state spending.

Summary of the Connecticut State of the State Address

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, a Republican, focused on ways to create jobs and cut the deficit in a sobering state of the state address Feb. 3. She called out the state's Democratic-controlled legislature for partisan bickering at a time when a devastating economic recession has thrown 94,000 residents out of work and caused a deep fiscal crisis.

Summary of the Ohio State of the State Address

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) vowed during his Jan. 26 state of the state address to increase the state's green energy production and to beef up job-creation programs.

Summary of the South Dakota State of the State Address

In his final state of the state address, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) called for lawmakers to help carry on the state's progress in education and the economy, saying South Dakota's low 5 percent unemployment rate shows the state is heading in the right direction.

Summary of the Mississippi State of the State Address

Republican Gov. Haley Barbour used his Jan. 18 state of the state address to urge the Democratic-led Legislature to approve a bill that would allow him to cut individual agency budgets up to 10 percent. He also called job creation and workforce training his No. 1 priorities and touted Mississippi's leadership in alternative energy production.

Summary of the Washington State of the State Address

"Jobs are the way out of this recession," Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) told the Democratic-led Legislature in her state of the state address Jan. 12, laying out a series of proposals she said would create as many as 40,000 new jobs this year.

Summary of the California State of the State Address

Term-limited California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) outlined a series of sweeping proposals in his final state of the state speech to the Democratic-controlled Legislature Jan. 6, including overhauls of the state's tax, budget and pension systems that he said would lift the Golden State out of fiscal calamity.

States Await Obama Jobs Plan

TODAY'S TAKE: State officials are eagerly awaiting a federal job-creation initiative to be outlined by President Obama today (Dec. 8). They hope it will include extended unemployment benefits, infrastructure money and other aid for their battered states.

'Jobs Summit' on Tap at White House

TODAY'S TAKE: President Obama will convene a "jobs summit" at the White House on Thursday (Dec. 3), but talk of a second stimulus package is likely to be muted by the federal budget deficit, as well as next year's midterm congressional elections.

Weekly Wrap: Louisiana Pleasantly Surprised by Haul From Tax Amnesty Program

More than $300 million is generated from delinquent Louisiana taxpayers; California finance chief hangs it up; Iowa Gov. Culver campaigns as problem solver; and stimulus Web site turns up boo-boos.