Budget Blog

In a blog last month , NASBO analyzed data published by Treasury based on quarterly project and expenditure (P&E) reports submitted by Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) recipients. At that time, data were available through the period ending March 31, 2023. This week, Treasury released an updated reporting dashboard and dataset through June 30, 2023. The following analysis is based on this latest data, with a focus on project plans and expenditures by Treasury category, as well as estimated revenue loss, reported by states, territories, and the District of Columbia (DC) (hereafter ... More

The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), allocated $195.3 billion for states and the District of Columbia and $4.5 billion for territories. Under the U.S. Treasury Department’s Compliance and Reporting Guidance , states, territories and the District of Columbia are required to submit annual Recovery Plan Performance Reports. This year’s reports were due to U.S. Treasury on July 31, 2023 and were to cover the period from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. For the same deadline, states were required to submit their quarterly ... More

Most states ended fiscal 2023 with a budget surplus as tax collections once again came in above projections. Entering fiscal 2023, states assumed smaller revenue levels following double-digit growth in tax collections in both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022. While year-over-year revenue collections grew at record high levels of 16.6 percent in fiscal 2021 and 16.3 percent in fiscal 2022, states forecasted fiscal 2023 revenues would decline 3.1 percent in their originally enacted budgets. States forecasted less revenue growth in fiscal 2023 due to several factors, including the high baseline established in fiscal 2022; ... More

As of July 5th, 45 states have enacted a full-year budget for fiscal 2024. Overall, states remain in a strong fiscal position as they enter fiscal 2024. According to NASBO’s Spring 2023 Fiscal Survey of States , state general fund spending growth in fiscal 2024 is expected to slow following two consecutive years of sharp increases which were driven in part by an uptick in one-time expenditures. Similarly, revenue growth is expected to decline following double-digit percentage increases in both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022. While state spending and revenue growth are showing signs of returning to more normal ... More

Early indications are most states saw declines in April tax collections compared to April 2022 (April represents the largest month for tax collections due to the tax filing deadline). The revenue slowdown was expected following record gains last April resulting from, at the time, employment growth, salary increases, strong stock market performance, higher corporate profits, increased consumer spending, and the impact of inflation. The revenue declines this April were largely related to the high baseline established last year, weaker overall economic growth, and declines in capital markets. Year-over-year comparisons ... More

State funds play a vital role in the delivery of high-quality public education across the continuum, and this reality is reflected in governors’ budgets for the next fiscal year (or for the next two years in biennial states). After rapid growth in state revenues and record budget surpluses in recent years, states are in a strong fiscal position to invest in key priorities, even amidst some signs of an economic slowdown. At the same time, states – like many sectors of the economy – are facing significant challenges due to workforce shortages. This combination of available resources and unmet labor needs has no doubt ... More

In recent years, states have begun responding to the diminishing buying power of motor fuel revenue. States are concerned that in the long term, the current structure of state and federal fuel tax revenue will not be able to meet infrastructure funding needs as most gas taxes are set at fixed rates and do not rise with inflation, new vehicle fuel economy continues to increase, and the sale of electric vehicles rapidly grows. Since 2013, 33 states have taken actions to raise their fuel tax revenues. Many of the actions resulted from multi-year transportation plans and were combined with other revenue-raising actions. ... More

Overview Through January, 32 governors have given a State of the State address. In their speeches many governors said the state of the state is strong, yet they also noted challenges remain. Governors spoke about how their state is in a better position than a few years ago, while also discussing the need to continue to move forward, take bold action, and help future generations. Like previous years, education remained a focus in governors’ speeches. However, in this year’s addresses other areas received increased focus including workforce development, substance abuse, mental health, housing and homelessness, public ... More