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- Stateline Story
The Empire Strikes Out
New York Governor David Paterson replaced a governor caught up in a scandal. Now Paterson is accused of wrongdoing himself and has declined to run for election. Facing a myriad of challenges, including a $9 billion budget shortfall, Paterson is finding it difficult to be effective in his final months in office.more -
- Stateline Story
What's the Fuss Over Lieutenant Govs?
Naming a new lieutenant governor in California has been no easy task. At one point last month, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic leaders of the Assembly fought over whether the Assembly had actually approved Schwarzenegger's pick for the post. In California, as in several other states, it's hard to keep in mind that the lieutenant governor's office is primarily designed to be a sort of insurance policy in case something happens to the governor. Instead, in several states like California, the position recently has been a political liability. The intrigue is even more baffling because many of the most hotly contested fights are in states where the lieutenant governor's powers are relatively weak.more -
- Stateline Story
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.more -
- Stateline Story
Is It ‘Raining’ Hard Enough?
Faced with historic revenue drops, states have tapped their rainy day funds in fiscal 2009 and 2010 at levels not seen since the 2001 recession to help close budget gaps totaling some $290 billion. The decision to go to these funds has renewed the debate about how much states should be setting aside in reserves and when to use the money. A few states, meanwhile, have been able to leave their funds intact.more -
- Stateline Story
Worst Is Yet to Come, Governors Say
TODAY'S TAKE: The fiscal year that begins in July for most states will be "the most difficult to date," according to a survey of 45 states released at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.more -
- Stateline Story
Congress Steps Into Gas-Drilling Debate
TODAY'S TAKE: Congress is stepping into an environmental debate that has raged in New York, Pennsylvania and other states where energy firms are using a technique known as "hydraulic fracturing" to drill for natural gas.more -
- Featured Collection
- States' Fiscal Health
Fact Sheets: The Trillion Dollar Gap
This 2010 report on funding state employee retirement benefits examined the roots of states' significant shortfall and how the economic crisis spurred states into action.
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- State Fact Sheet
The Trillion Dollar Gap: New York
New York is a national leader in managing its long-term pension liability, but needs to improve how it handles the bill coming due for retiree health care and other benefits.
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- Report
- States' Fiscal Health
The Trillion Dollar Gap
States that ignored public sector retirement challenges now face growing bill coming due—bills that may have significant consequences for taxpayers. This report from the Pew Center on the States examined the roots of the problem and how the economic crisis is spurring states into action.
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- Stateline Story
Census Quandary: Where Do Prisoners 'Live'?
TODAY'S TAKE: As the 2010 Census gets under way, politicians in some states are debating where prisoners should be counted: in the prisons where they are serving time, or in their home communities. The debate pits rural areas against urban ones - and Republicans against Democrats - as communities fight over the political and monetary resources at stake.more
