Budgets

Urges Adequate State Education Funding To Avoid Drastic Local Property Tax Hikes

June 23, 2009 --
LANCASTER – Pennsylvania’s next state budget must adequately invest in education in order to avoid drastic local property tax increases, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell said today during a visit to a Fulton Elementary School in Lancaster.

The Governor cautioned that a budget plan offered and approved by Senate Republicans would force school districts to hike property taxes and cut programs, ultimately putting Pennsylvania $1.2 billion behind the goals established in law last year as part of a six-year school funding formula.    » read more »

Governor believes state must maintain reserves during period of economic uncertainty

June 23, 2009 -- (Salem) – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today vetoed the legislature’s decision to raid the state reserve funds, putting the economic and financial stability of the state at risk. The veto follows months of public statements and letters from the Governor expressing his position that the state should maintain a fiscally responsible level of reserve funds during this period of record unemployment and economic uncertainty.    » read more »

Revenue Picture Continues to Darken; Sharp Declines in Income, Sales, Other Taxes Highlight Pitfalls of Additional Tax Increases

June 22, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the most recent estimate by her budget office of the deficit for the current fiscal year – which ends June 30 – remains essentially unchanged from May, and said she is deeply troubled by the effect that the continuing erosion of state revenues from income taxes, sales taxes and other sources will have on the budget for the next two fiscal years.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter issued the following statement today regarding the June revenue forecast:

"A couple hours ago, we received new revenue figures, and while they weren't unexpected, they do mean we have more work to do. Available funds will come in below budget for the current fiscal year and for the next fiscal year. Fortunately, we took steps in the 2009 legislative session that will help us deal with this for the remainder of 2008-09 without impacting services.

"For 2009-10, we will be taking immediate steps to determine the exact amount of the shortfall, and then crafting a plan to close that shortfall. I will be meeting with the JBC, legislative leaders and my budget staff in the coming days to put together that balancing plan.    » read more »

Governor Eliminates $288.9 Million in Spending Through Line-Item Veto

June 19, 2009 -- AUSTIN – Texas Governor Rick Perry today signed Senate Bill 1 into law, providing a balanced budget that spends $1.6 billion less in general revenue than the previous biennium. The budget funds key priorities from higher education and job creation to border security. The governor also used his line-item veto power to reduce the two-year budget by $97.2 million in general revenue and $288.9 million from all funding sources.    » read more »

BOSTON– June 19, 2009 – The following is a statement from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick:

“I pledged to veto the Legislature’s proposed sales tax increase unless the Legislature first enacted meaningful reforms in the pension system, the transportation network, and our ethics and lobbying rules. In the last 10 days, the Legislature has passed and I have signed legislation eliminating long-standing pension abuses. They have also passed what, at first review, seems to be a good faith effort at reforming our broken transportation system. I commend the House and Senate for their work on these reform measures.    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- HONOLULU – Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle today announced details of the Administration’s plan to furlough all state employees in the Executive Branch to help close the unprecedented $2.7 billion revenue shortfall projected between now and June 30, 2011. The furlough plan represents the first time labor costs are being impacted to address the state’s budget gap.

Starting July 1, 2009 and continuing through June 30, 2011, full-time employees in the Executive Branch will be placed on furlough for three days (24 hours) per month. Part-time employees will be placed on furlough on a pro-rated equivalent basis.    » read more »

Cutting Billions In State Spending To Balance $3.2 Billion Budget Deficit

June 16, 2009 -- HARRISBURG – Facing a national recession and a growing state budget deficit that imperils Pennsylvania’s long-range economic well-being, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today proposed a mix of remedies, including a temporary increase of one-half percent in the state’s personal income tax to 3.57 percent. The law would require the tax to return to 3.07 percent after three years.

The temporary increase proposed by the Governor would raise approximately $1.5 billion per year in new revenue. A temporary tax has been implemented successfully to address a fiscal crisis in Pennsylvania on three prior occasions.    » read more »

Brings Total Proposed Budget Cuts To $2 Billion

June 17, 2009 -- HARRISBURG – Responding to a deepening budget crisis and a constitutional requirement to balance a $3.2 billion revenue shortfall, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today convened a rare emergency cabinet meeting and gave each cabinet member specific targets for cutting an additional $500 million from next year’s state budget.    » read more »

Proposed measures resolve $2.7 billion shortfall for Fiscal Years 2010-11; military & veterans, public safety, K-12 education among programs shielded from cuts

June 16, 2009 -- Saint Paul – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson today announced recommendations to resolve a projected $2.676 billion budget gap through use of executive actions.

Today’s recommendations from Commissioner Hanson to Governor Pawlenty follow Hanson’s determination last week that “probable receipts for the general fund will be less than anticipated, and that the amount available for the remainder of the [2010-2011] biennium will be less than needed.”    » read more »

Former Alaska Senator Steven A. Rieger

June 15, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today appointed former Alaska Senator Steven A. Rieger to the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Board of Trustees.

“It is a pleasure to have a man with Steve Rieger’s broad experience, impressive credentials and statesmanlike temperament as the newest Permanent Fund trustee,” Governor Palin said. “I have every confidence that Steve’s addition to the board will help continue its strong record of prudent management of Alaskans’ most important financial institution.”    » read more »

Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces New “Waste Watcher” Feature on Governor’s Web Site

06/10/2009 --
In an effort to encourage state employees to report wasteful government practices, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced a new feature called “Waste Watchers” on his Web site at www.gov.ca.gov and his Reporting Transparency in Government Web site.

The Waste Watchers site allows state employees and other Californians to go online and report any government waste they may be aware of, either anonymously or by name. The Administration will monitor the site and investigate submissions.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- “The President’s proposal for a new statutory budget enforcement tool is a step in the right direction, although we should go further. He is right to base his proposal on the pay-as-you-go rules that were in place during the 1990s which helped balance the federal budget.

"We know just how critical those rules were because after they expired Congress and the Bush Administration returned the country to fiscally reckless policies and produced the record-breaking deficits for which we are now paying. I’m pleased we finally reinstated the Senate’s pay-as-you-go budget rule a few years ago.    » read more »

Remarks By The President On "Pay As You Go"

June 9, 2009 -- East Room -- THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you all for joining us here in the White House. Before I begin, I want to comment briefly on the announcement by the Treasury Department with regard to the financial stability plan.

As you know, through this plan and its predecessor, taxpayer dollars were used to stabilize the financial system at a time of extraordinary stress. And these funds were also meant to be an investment -- and they were meant to be temporary. And that's why this morning's announcement is important.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- To The Congress Of The United States:

Today I am pleased to submit to the Congress the enclosed legislative proposal, the "Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009," or "PAYGO," together with a sectional analysis.

The deficits that my Administration inherited reflect not only a severe economic downturn but also years of failing to pay for new policies -- including large tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the affluent. This failure of fiscal discipline contributed to transforming surpluses projected at the beginning of this decade into trillions of dollars in deficits. I am committed to returning our Government to a path of fiscal discipline, and PAYGO represents a key step back to the path of shared responsibility.    » read more »