The LATEST from NC
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- Stateline Story
The Not-So-Fast Track for High-Speed Rail
The last time intercity passenger trains served Madison, Wisconsin's capital city, students at the University of Wisconsin campus there were protesting the Vietnam War. The trains stopped running when Amtrak took over passenger service around the country in 1971. But last month, the federal government announced it would give the state $810 million in stimulus money to return passenger trains to Wisconsin's second-biggest city for the first time in more than four decades.The $8 billion in federal stimulus money billed as "high-speed rail" funding that will pay for the Wisconsin improvements is going to 31 states to improve service on trains of all speeds. But as even the straightforward case of Wisconsin shows, the path for states to actually build high-speed rail promises to be long, costly and, in some cases, politically contentious.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 -
- 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: North Carolina
North Carolina is managing its long-term pension liability well, but the Tar Heel State 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
2010 Elections: New Faces, Daunting Problems
Barack Obama won the presidency running on a platform of change in 2008, and change also will be the watchword in 2010 at the state level. Bruising budget battles could put voters in a testy mood and usher in a wave of new faces to lead state government, where Democrats now hold the majority of governorships and statehouses.more -
- Stateline Story
Is It Time for a New Fiscal Balance Between States and the Feds?
In his 1982 State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan called for sweeping changes in the partnership between Washington and the states. His proposal for a grand swap of state and federal responsibilities would have relieved states of one of the fastest-growing burdens on their budgets today. Congress never acted on Reagan's proposal, and his idea to fundamentally rethink the financial ties between states and the federal government went dormant. Perhaps until now.more -
- Stateline Story
2010 Speeches Are Bleak for Most Governors
With nearly three-quarters of their seats up for election this year, the nation's governors are setting the stage for 2010 by warning that the economic downturn is far from over in the states, where tax collections are weak, unemployment is surging and the likeliest outcomes will be unpopular tax hikes and sharp budget cuts. more
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- Infographic
Legislative Control and Redistricting, 2010
Winning control of legislative chambers is especially important this year, because some state legislatures will be drawing new congressional and statehouse districts based on population changes revealed in the 2010 census. more
