Budgets

May 22, 2009 -- "Each year, I work to ensure that the federal government effectively serves Colorado's needs by funding important projects in our state. I do this by making funding requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee.    » read more »

Obama Administration agrees to amend their Fiscal Year 2010 Budget proposal after Murray, Cantwell, Dicks and West Coast Congressional members call to restore program and funding

May 21, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA 6th) announced that the Obama Administration has agreed to amend their Fiscal Year 2010 Budget to reinstate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) and restore $50 million in funding for the program.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 passed the Senate. The bill includes $73 billion in non-emergency, discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense, for operations, personnel costs and equipment reconstitution for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The package also includes $1.5 billion for pandemic preparedness. It passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 3.    » read more »

05/20/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement in support of the California Citizens Compensation Commission vote to impose an 18 percent pay cut for state elected officials:

“The California Citizens Compensation Commission took the right action today in voting to reduce the salaries of the state’s elected officials by 18 percent. The people of California have spoken loud and clear: they want the state to live within its means and do not want any more government waste or pay raises for California’s elected officials.    » read more »

May 21, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today signed into law six appropriations bills, including House Bill 81, the FY2010 Operating Budget; House Bill 83, the FY2010 Mental Health Operating and Capital Budget; House Bill 113, the FY2009 Supplemental Bill; House Bill 199, the Federal Economic Stimulus Bill; Senate Bill 75, the FY2010 capital budget; and Senate Bill 116, a one-time special appropriation for low-income energy assistance.

The governor struck a total of $80.3 million through various line-item reductions in four of the six appropriations bills. HB 83, the mental health operating and capital budget, and SB 116, the energy assistance special appropriation, were signed into law as passed by the legislature.    » read more »

Voluntary openness of Riley Administration now written into law

May 22, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley on Friday signed into law a bill he has been advocating for years that requires governors to report details of state aircraft usage and spending from the Governor’s Contingency Fund.

Since he came into office in 2003, Governor Riley has voluntarily posted on the Internet the flight logs of state aircraft he uses and expenditures from the contingency fund.

During a ceremony at a Department of Transportation hangar where the state keeps the jet used by Alabama governors, Governor Riley signed the bill and praised the measure as an important tool to promote accountability in state government.    » read more »

May 18, 2009 -- President Obama’s fiscal 2010 budget proposal at the Department of Interior contains an historic $50 million in new investments to connect children and families to the great outdoors. The budget targets $30 million for educating young hunters and anglers, as well as $20 million in new funding for Youth Careers in Nature. This DOI initiative, dubbed the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, will bolster environmental education, recreation, and service programs throughout the Department, and engage thousands of youth in the outdoors.

Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation, said:

“President Obama’s budget makes a bold and necessary investment to connect today’s children with the great outdoors.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota Governor John Hoeven today was joined by Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, legislators, members of the Governor's Commission on Education Improvement, educators and students to sign House Bill 1400, a historic K-12 education funding bill that invests $1.3 billion in North Dakota's schools.    » read more »

N.J. Sen. Fought for Federal Funds for Garden State; With New Formulas, N.J. would receive $109 million under Obama FY2010 Budget

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) last week announced the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation to increase New Jersey’s share of funding for wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities.

The new formulas, coupled with increased funding under President Obama’s proposed FY2010 budget, would give New Jersey $109 million next year. That would represent an increase of $81 million in funds from last year.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- "Our state has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn – unemployment levels have skyrocketed and I’ve heard from many local communities struggling to cover basic services like education, public safety, transportation and health care. As a United States Senator, part of my job is to help critical priorities in our state receive attention from the federal government so that we can help reinvigorate our economy, create new, high-paying jobs, and help our working families stay ahead in these tough economic times.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today signed House Bill 1216, which funds key construction projects statewide.

“The capital budget I am signing today will support more than 13,000 jobs at its peak,” Gregoire said. “These jobs are critical in helping our state recover from the economic downturn. At the same time, the investments build the infrastructure needed to keep Washington at the forefront of the 21st century economy.”

The 2009–11 capital budget invests $3.3 billion in construction projects throughout the state and includes funds to:
• Support K-12 school construction
• Provide adequate housing for inmates
• Construct adequate facilities for college students
• Protect the environment    » read more »

Four Core Areas of Government Protected Under Agreement

May 15, 2009 -- Oklahoma City — Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, House Speaker Chris Benge and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee announced a budget agreement today that largely protects the four core functions of government, including education, health care, public safety and transportation.

“I want to thank House Speaker Benge and Pro Tem Coffee for their hard work and bipartisan cooperation during this process. I also want to commend Treasurer Scott Meacham and House and Senate Democratic leaders for assisting me during these negotiations," said Gov. Henry.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today outlined the latest $150 million in cuts he has ordered to state programs, pushing the total cuts to state government in FY2009 past the $2 billion mark.

“These are tough but necessary choices,” Governor Corzine said. “The cuts we are making are unprecedented but we are experiencing a national economic crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in generations. We are living up to our fiscal responsibility as we face even more difficult choices in the next two months.”

The latest round of cuts just seven weeks before the end of the fiscal year on June 30 is in response to the steep decline in tax revenues collected by the state because of the ongoing national economic crisis.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- WILMINGTON – Delaware Governor Jack Markell released the following statement Friday in response to preliminary estimates from the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council that show the state’s budget shortfall for fiscal 09 has increased to $45 million and the shortfall for fiscal 2010 has climbed to $800 million:

“DEFAC’s estimates make our historic challenge even more daunting. My administration will spend the next six weeks working with the General Assembly to responsibly address the $800 million shortfall. I am grateful the legislature passed the sports lottery bill, but as the numbers show, we have a lot of work left to do.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour issued the following statement today:

“It is unfortunate that some members of the House remain blind to budget realities. At today’s session of budget negotiators, for example, State Rep. Dirk Dedeaux, chairman of the House Medicaid Committee, said the federal stimulus money is like manna from Heaven, and just like manna from Heaven it must be eaten that day or it will rot.    » read more »