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SPN State Fiscal Policy Exchange – Volume 4, Issue 20

Published on Tuesday, June 03, 2008
FISCAL POLICY

SPN State Fiscal Policy Exchange – Volume 4, Issue 20

 Please send any suggestions or news updates (include web link) to Brian Zapotocky at bzapotocky@effwa.org.

 

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Studies/Policy Updates

 

Budget and Tax Reform

 

• Alabama Policy Institute: Lieberman-Warner Bill Could Mean More Pain At The Pump

• Alleghany Institute for Public Policy: Merger Talk Ignores Pennsylvania Constitution and Laws

• Americans For Prosperity:
• AFP-NJ Unveils Wall of Pork
• Hundreds Rally Against Tax Hikes and Out-of-Control Government Spending at State House

• Americans For Tax Reform:
• ATR Opposes "America's Climate Security Act" (S. 2191)
• The Solution to Global Warming: $8,000,000,000,000
• Governor Sends Tax Hike To Legislative Ashtray
• Solution to Cure All Evils: Beer Tax

• Cascade Policy Institute:
• Carfree Dreaming in Portland
• Sustainability is a State of Mind

• Empire Center: Empire's New Labor Tracking Site - NY Public Payroll Watch

• Evergreen Freedom Foundation: A rush to punish the messenger

• FreedomWorks:
• FreedomWorks Supports Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) Leadership on Comprehensive Entitlement and Tax Reform
• In the Frontlines Defeating Tax Hikes in North Carolina
• Gas Price Protest: More Gas at Lower Prices - New FreedomWorks Campaign
• We're Real and We Are Upset at Paying for the Bailout - Wall Street Journal
• Housing Fight on Senate Floor in Early June

• Free State Foundation:
• FSF Urges Universal Service Reform in FCC Comments
• Reforming the Sunshine Act

• Georgia Public Policy Foundation: Why You Can't Win for Winning

• Goldwater Institute: More Government Spending Doesn't Solve Income Inequality

• Heritage Foundation: Five Myths About the Lieberman-Warner Global Warming Legislation

• Illinois Policy Institute: Chicago Tribune Features Illinois Policy Institute

• John Locke Foundation: Public needs more oversight of tax increment financing

• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Michigan Education Digest May 27, 2008

• National Taxpayer Union:
• Nation's Largest Taxpayer Group Creates Online Portal Demonstrating Real Effects of New Energy Taxes
• An Open Letter to the U.S. Senate: Oppose S. 2191, the Lieberman-Warner "Climate Security Act"!
• Taxpayer Group Commends Governor Sanford for Snuffing Out South Carolina Cigarette Tax Hike
• An Open Letter to the United States House of Representatives: Support a Spending Limit Constitutional Amendment
• An Open Letter to the Louisiana State House of Representatives: Support Income Tax Cuts

• Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs:
• Rapid Growth in State Spending Threatens Tax Cuts
• Higher Tax Burdens Hinder Economic Growth

• Rio Grande Foundation: Tax Hike, Unwise, Unnecessary - Santa Fe New Mexican

• Texans for Fiscal Responsibility:
• New Margins Tax Battering Texas Businesses
• Apple IPods for Texas Students Take a Bite Out of Taxpayers
• Only an Appraisal District Bureaucrat Could Say a 10% Tax Increase is "Relatively Flat"

• The Tax Foundation: News from the Tax Foundation's Center for Legal Reform

• Washington Policy Center:
• White House on 2003 tax cuts expiring
• $200 billion in fee and tax increases proposed in 2008

Education

• Evergreen Freedom Foundation:
• Book Report: Lynn Harsh appears on Fox News
• A little more clarity in school spending
• School Types
• WEA Garnering National Disclaim

• Goldwater Institute:
• Expensive and easy fixes haven't solved education woes
• Time to Draw Line in Sand on Dysfunctional Schools

Transparency

• Americans For Tax Reform: ATR Urges Congress to Enact Comprehensive Transparency in Government Spending

• National Taxpayer Union: Where's the Online Spending Database?

 

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State News Updates

Alabama

• Senate OKs budget for education, Montgomery Advertiser, May 30, 2008

Alaska

• Juneau lawmaker pans ferry vetoes, Anchorage Daily News, May 27, 2008

Arizona

• Rival transportation plans may compete on ballot, Arizona Republic, May 30, 2008
• Lawmakers chastised for stalling on budget, Arizona Republic, May 29, 2008
• Federal contracts worth far more to AZ than earmarks, Arizona Daily Star, May 25, 2008

Arkansas

• Tuition to increase nearly 6 percent at Arkansas State, Daily Citizen, May 28, 2008
• Forecast: Ark. faces $1B college financial aid shortfall, Daily Citizen, May 28, 2008

California

• GOP lawmakers reject $7 billion for more prison hospital beds, Sacramento Bee, May 30, 2008
• Assembly OKs paid sick leave for all, Sacramento Bee, May 29, 2008
• State's payroll soars under Schwarzenegger, San Francisco Chronicle, May 25, 2008

Delaware

• With one day left, state budget still too big, News Journal, May 29, 2008

 Florida

• Florida's homeowner tax caps challenged, Tallahassee Democrat, May 30, 2008
• Open-records laws weather Florida's Legislative Session, Tallahassee Democrat, May 26, 2008

Georgia

• DOT chief: Toll roads a tough sell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 29, 2008
• Funding may come from state, Augusta Chronicle, May 29, 2008

Hawaii

• State tax revenue expected to slow, Star Bulletin, May 30, 2008
• 'To do' list for school repair gets longer, Star Bulletin, May 29, 2008

Idaho

• Auditor says secret tax deals cost state millions, Idaho Statesman, May 29, 2008

Illinois

• Budget OKd, but no construction plan, Chicago Sun-Times, June 1, 2008
• Senate OKs $16B loan to bolster pension system, Chicago Sun-Times, May 30, 2008
• Lawmakers racing the clock on budget, Daily Herald, May 29, 2008
• Marriage license tax targets domestic violence, Chicago Tribune, May 28, 2008
• Illinois schools to get state payments, Quad-City Times, May 28, 2008
• Business group backs plan to expand gambling in Illinois, Quad-City Times, May 28, 2008
• Pension Pain: Fixing state plans won't be easy, State Journal-Register, May 27, 2008

Iowa

• State auditor: Iowa lawmakers continue poor budgeting practices, Quad-City Times, May 29, 2008

Kansas

• Judge expresses reservations over fee increase for driving records, Columbia Missourian, May 29, 2008

Kentucky

• State Senate offices to be expanded, renovated, Herald-Leader, May 29, 2008
• Beshear moves to call special session, lawmakers not quite on board, Lexington Herald-Leader, May 29, 2008
• Tax incentives fuel energy plans, Courier-Journal, May 27, 2008

Louisiana

• Cigarette tax hike to fund Medicaid dies again in House, Commercial Dispatch, May 30, 2008
• Budget cuts not due to revenue, Advocate, June 1, 2008
• Jindal will guard budget with veto, News Star, May 29, 2008
• Senate supports EBR casino tax, Advocate, May 28, 2008

Maine

• State to track funding activity, Bangor Daily News, May 27, 2008

Maryland

• State approves $46.3M for school building aid, Gazette, May 28, 2008

Massachusetts

• Governor signs $1.3 billion affordable housing bond bill, Boston Herald, May 29, 2008
• Bigger pensions drawing protests, Boston Globe, May 28, 2008

Michigan

• Lansing to consider business tax changes, Detroit News, May 30, 2008
• State withholds Detroit funds, Detroit News, May 24, 2008

Minnesota

• Group urges tax hike for arts, outdoors funding, St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 28, 2008

Mississippi

• Cigarette and liquor tax pushed by House members, Clarion-Ledger, May 29, 2008
• Hospital tax passes Senate, Daily Journal, May 29, 2008
• House trumps Senate bill, Hattiesburg American, May 29, 2008
• Special session rolls on today, Hattiesburg American, May 27, 2008
• Decisions costing taxpayers, Hattiesburg American, May 27, 2008

Missouri

• Mo. legislation eases property tax burdens, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 27, 2008

Nebraska

• Taxpayers spend hundreds of thousands on lobbyists, Lincoln Journal Star, May 29, 2008
• State appeals Republican River tax ruling, Journal Star, May 28, 2008

Nevada

• Legislature finally approves Gibbons' budget cuts, Las Vegas Sun, May 23, 2008

New Hampshire

• Legislation would subsidize car pools, Concord Monitor, May 30, 2008
• State to tax poker halls' profits, Concord Monitor, May 30, 2008
• Negotiations on pension reform begin, Concord Monitor, May 28, 2008

New Jersey

• Paying dearly for 2003 grants, Star-Ledger, May 25, 2008

New Mexico

• Real-estate tax heads for summer vote, Santa Fe New Mexican, May 27, 2008

New York

• 6-figure club for school retirees, Times Union, June 1, 2008
• Gov's 1970s Fiscal-Woe Fix, New York Post, May 29, 2008
• N.Y. Assembly speaker may block 'circuit breaker' for property taxes, Democrat and Chronicle, May 28, 2008

North Carolina

• House budget rollout begins, News & Observer, May 30, 2008
• Voters could decide on tax for traffic relief, News & Observer, May 29, 2008
• Bill aims to ease sales tax laws, Charlotte Observer, May 28, 2008

Ohio

• Lawmakers: No Turnpike money in state stimulus package, Plain Dealer, May 24, 2008

Oklahoma

• Edmond reviewing budget, Oklahoman, May 28, 2008

Pennsylvania

• Pa. tax idea: $5 per strip-club patron, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 30, 2008
• Congressman says agency 'stalling' I-80 plan, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 28, 2008

Rhode Island

• Don't bet on more aid, Providence Journal, May 28, 2008

South Carolina

• New cigarette tax killed, State, May 28, 2008
• SC governor vetoes cost of living raise for retirees, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, May 26, 2008

Tennessee

• State workers' buyout delayed, Knoxville News Sentinel, June 1, 2008

Texas

• Texas criticized for offering education grants to private schools, Dallas Morning News, May 28, 2008

Utah

• 'Clean fuel' tax credits becoming popular with Utahns, Deseret News, May 31, 2008
• UDOT gets $25 million for S.R. 92 work, Deseret News, May 28, 2008

Virginia

• State nearly finished sending out vehicle refunds, Virginian-Pilot, May 28, 2008
• Rural residents give cold shoulder to new road taxes, Virginian-Pilot, May 27, 2008

Washington

• $1 toll increase approved for new Narrows bridge, News Tribune, May 28, 2008

West Virginia

• Weeks sues over lawmaker pay bill, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, May 28, 2008

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin falls from ranks of top 10 highest-taxed states for first time since 1980, Wisconsin State Journal, May 28, 2008
• Lawmakers approve smaller raises for state employees, Capital Times, May 27, 2008
• Assembly targets Doyle vetoes, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, May 27, 2008
• Switch saves state millions, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, May 27, 2008

U.S.

• Think the Economy Is Bad? Wait Till the States Cut Back, New York Times, June 1, 2008
• Officials open coffers for more open space, USA Today, May 28, 2008
• New I-5 span? Idea calls for toll first, Oregonian, May 27, 2008
• States wager on racetrack slots, Stateline.org, May 27, 2008

 

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Links of Interest

• Alliance for Workers Freedom
• American Legislative Exchange Council
• American Shareholders Association
• Americans for Limited Government
• Americans for Prosperity
• Americans for Prosperity Texas Blog
• Americans for Tax Reform
• BNA State Tax Highlights
• Budget and Tax News
• BusinessNevada
• Carolina Journal
• Citizens Against Government Waste
• COST Tax Updates
• EFF Updates
• EFF Blog
• FreedomWorks
• Foundation for Economic Education
• Independence Institute Updates
• Insider Online
• Media Freedom Project
• National Tax Limitation Committee
• National Taxpayers Union
• PolicyBot
• Property Rights Alliance
• Ronald Reagan Legacy Project
• Sam Adams Alliance
• SPN blog
• State Tax Updates (ATR)
• Tax Bytes (Institute for Policy Innovation)
• Tax Foundation
• Townhall
• Washington Policy Center Blog
• Young America's Foundation

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