Across the United States, ballot initiatives--proposed laws submitted to a vote of the people -- are an increasingly popular method of public policy making. In November, between 60 and 70 initiatives covering everything from video poker to gay rights are expected to appear on the ballots of the 24 states that currently allow for these measures. The initiative process was conceived as a way to give voters more say on public policy, but some analysts like Washington Post political writer David Broder say it has become a tool of big-moneyed special interests. more

A growing number of states are taking advantage of overflowing revenues to relieve the tax burden on poor families, a new study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found. In 1999, fewer than half the states that impose an income tax -- 20 out of 41 -- collected revenues from families earning less than the official poverty line. Since 1991, four states have raised their tax thresholds to exempt these families. Two more, Delaware and New Jersey, will stop taxing poor families over the next two years. Altogether in the 1990s, 19 of the 41 income-tax states significantly cut or eliminated taxes on poor families, the study by the liberal-leaning Washington think tank showed. more

President Clinton sent his budget for the 2001 fiscal year -- the last of his presidency -- to Capitol Hill Monday (2/7), with the expectation that lawmakers will consider a host of spending increases in his favorite domestic programs: public education, health care, middle-class tax cuts and welfare. The Clinton budget, like his State of the Union speech, is expected to be short on grand designs. Many scholars say Clinton's style of incrementalism may deprive him of an enduring legacy. For a review of Clinton's domestic policy achievements, click on more

With this item, Stateline.org inaugurates a new feature designed to give you a better perspective on what's happening in the state capitals: occasional question & answer sessions with top authorities on state policy issues. Senior Writer Blair S. Walker recently spoke with John E. Petersen, director of the Government Finance Group, a financial advisory and research firm based in Arlington, Va. A recent appointee to Virginia's tax commission, Petersen writes a regular finance column for "Governing" magazine and last year authored a study on the future of Michigan's state and local taxation. more

Maryland's General Assembly begins a four-month session Wednesday, and the biggest issue facing the lawmakers is how to dispose of an unprecedented $1 billion budget surplus. But there are other items on the agenda as well, including gun control, land use and growth, and managed healthcare reform. For more on this, click on more