Budget Blog

One promising trend in state finances in recent years has been the strengthening of states’ rainy day funds or savings accounts. Maintaining adequate reserve levels helps states to mitigate disruptions to state services due to revenue shortfalls, during an economic downturn, and in response to emergencies and other unanticipated events. Improved revenue conditions in fiscal 2018 helped many states continue to bolster their reserves, with a number of states directing at least part of their unanticipated budget surpluses into their rainy day funds. According to NASBO’s Fall 2018 Fiscal Survey of States , 32 states ... More

Over the past five years, more than half of the states have taken actions to raise their fuel tax revenues. Many of the actions were the result of multi-year transportation plans and were combined with other revenue-raising actions. One of the more notable recent actions has been the institution of registration fees on electric and hybrid vehicles. States are concerned that in the long-term, the current structure of state and federal fuel tax revenue will not be able to meet transportation needs as most gas taxes are set at fixed rates and do not rise with inflation, and the average vehicle fuel economy continues ... More

State budget season has officially arrived. Over the next several months, 47 governors across the country will unveil their spending plans for fiscal year 2020 – or for the next two fiscal years in the case of the 17 biennial states. Kentucky, Virginia, and Wyoming have already enacted biennial budgets that include fiscal year 2020. On November 1, Colorado’s outgoing governor unveiled his final budget proposal, in accordance with the state’s statutory budget deadline, becoming the first state to release an executive budget for consideration in the 2019 legislative session. Governors’ budget submission deadlines ... More

FEDERAL BUDGET UPDATE Marcia Howard , Executive Director, Federal Funds Information for States NATIONAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Dan White , Director & Senior Economist, Moody’s Analytics   NEW FEDERAL CHILD WELFARE LAW: BUDGET & POLICY IMPLICATIONS Laura Berntsen , Senior Human Services Advisor, Minority, United States Senate, Committee on Finance Anne DeCesaro , Majority Staff Director, Human Resources Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means Ryan Martin , Senior Human Services Advisor, United States Senate, Committee on Finance Morna ... More

Interest in how state governments use data and evidence to inform decisions continues to grow. States have made tremendous progress in this arena in recent years, leveraging performance management systems, administrative data, greater access to research clearinghouses, partnerships with universities and foundations, and other tools and new technologies to advance these efforts. NASBO recently developed a new resource , Statewide Initiatives to Advance the Use of Data & Evidence for Decision-Making: A Working Inventory , to catalog these efforts – particularly those overseen by budget offices. NASBO collaborated ... More