Last week, the Senate failed for a second time to approve a payroll tax cut extension bill, as both the Democratic (S. 1944) and Republican (S. 1931) proposals failed. Additionally, late last week, House leadership introduced their first version of the legislation (H.R. 3630).
Later today, House and Senate appropriators are expected to release a FY 2012 omnibus spending package carrying up to nine of the remaining FY 2012 spending bills. Leaders in both chambers are hopeful that they can clear the omnibus by the end of this week when current funding expires. However, several policy and spending questions remained unresolved.
With Congress looking to adjourn by the end of the week, both chambers are expected to focus on approving both the remainder of FY 2012 appropriations and a bill to extend the current payroll tax deduction that may also include provisions to undo a scheduled cut in Medicare physician reimbursement rates and the extension of federal unemployment benefits. Although several issues remain unresolved, appropriators remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached early this week (see below).
Although state fiscal conditions continue their slow improvement in fiscal 2012, they are likely to remain constrained due to the lack of a strong national economic recovery and the withdrawal of Recovery Act funds. This slow improvement in state finances is highlighted by the 38 states that reported general fund spending growth in 2011 and the 43 states that reported spending growth for 2012. However, 29 states still have lower general fund spending in fiscal 2012 compared to the pre-recession levels of fiscal 2008.
With data gathered from all 50 state budget offices and published jointly with the National Governors Association, this bi-annual report provides:
The spring edition details governors’ proposed budgets; the fall edition details enacted budgets.
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State fiscal conditions in fiscal 2011 are somewhat improved when compared to the difficult fiscal environment that states faced in fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010. This coincides with the economic recovery occurring nationally. However, states face numerous fiscal challenges as they enter fiscal 2012 including the withdrawal of significant funding that was provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
| Title | Size | ||
| 2005 Spring Fiscal Survey of States | 212.53 KB | Download | |
| 2005 Fall Fiscal Survey of States |
NASBO Issue Briefs provide a summary and synthesis of fiscal topics important to state budget officers. Issue briefs are published as free PDF documents.
Budget Processes in the States highlights key budget issues, demonstrating the diversity in state budgeting practices. The budget process is the arena in which a state determines public priorities by allocating financial resources among competing claims. The report chapters are organized around particular topical areas: the budget cycle, budget requirements, budgeting tools, the budget document, and monitoring the budget. Data for this report were collected from the fifty states during fiscal 2008.
The National Association of State Budget Officers