This week, Kansas’s school funding was again ruled unconstitutionally low and unfair, while Montana lawmakers indicated they’d rather let historic wildfires burn a hole through their budget than raise revenues to meet their funding needs. Meanwhile, a struggling agricultural sector continues to cause problems for Iowa and Nebraska, but legalized recreational marijuana is bringing good economic news to both California and Nevada.
ITEP State Rundown
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blog October 4, 2017 State Rundown 10/4: Wildfires in Montana and Tax Cuts in Kansas Wreak Budget Havoc
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blog September 28, 2017 State Rundown 9/28: Wisconsin Budget Finalized, Oklahoma Special Session Underway
This week, Wisconsin’s leaders finalized the state budget at last, while those in Oklahoma began a special session to close their state’s revenue shortfall. Soda tax fights made news in Illinois and Pennsylvania. And New Jersey offered Amazon $5 billion in tax subsidies.
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blog September 25, 2017 State Rundown 9/25: No Rest for the Weary as State Tax and Budget Debates Wind Down, Ramp Up
Last week, Wisconsin leaders finally came to agreement on a state budget, while their peers in Connecticut appear to be close behind them. Iowa lawmakers avoided a special session with a short-term fix and will have to return to their structural deficit issues next session, as will those in Louisiana who will face a $1 billion shortfall. Meanwhile, District of Columbia leaders have already resumed meeting and discussing tax and budget issues there.
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blog September 13, 2017 State Rundown 9/13: The Year of Unprecedented State Budget Impasses Continues
This week, Pennsylvania lawmakers risk defaulting on payments due to their extremely overdue budget and Illinois legislators will borrow billions to start paying their backlog of unpaid bills. Governing delves into why there were more such budget impasses this year than in any year in recent memory. And Oklahoma got closure from its Supreme Court on whether closing special tax exemptions counts as “raising taxes” (it doesn’t).
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blog September 7, 2017 State Rundown 9/6: Most Statehouses Quiet, Many Pondering Harvey’s Impacts
It’s been a quiet week for tax policy in most states, though lawmakers are still making noise in Pennsylvania, where a budget agreement is still needed, and in Wisconsin, where legislators are searching for the will to raise revenue for the state’s ailing transportation infrastructure. In our “What We’re Reading” section you’ll find interesting reading on the fiscal fallout of Hurricane Harvey, as well as an in-depth series on how states’ disaster response needs are likely to continue to increase.
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blog August 31, 2017 State Rundown 8/31: Modernizing Taxes is Sometimes a Sprint, Sometimes a Marathon
Tax and budget debates are progressing at different paces in different parts of the country this week. In Connecticut and Wisconsin, lawmakers hope to finally settle their budget and tax differences soon. In South Dakota, a court case that could finally enable states to enforce their sales taxes on online retailers inches slowly closer to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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blog August 23, 2017 State Rundown 8/23: Few Lingering Budget Debates Cannot Linger Much Longer
This week, Oklahoma lawmakers learned they’ll need to enter a special session to balance their budget and that they’ll likely face a lawsuit over their low funding of public education. Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate is also coming to a head as the state literally runs out of funds to pay its bills. And Amazon’s tax practices are in the news again as the company has been sued in South Carolina.
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blog August 9, 2017 State Rundown 8/9: And Then There Were Three
This week, Rhode Island lawmakers agreed on a budget, leaving only three states – Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – without complete budgets. Texas, however, remains in special session and West… -
blog August 2, 2017 State Rundown 8/2: Legislative Tax Debates Wind Down as Ballot Initiative Efforts Ramp Up
Budget deliberations continue in earnest this week in Alaska, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. In South Dakota and Utah, the focus is on gearing up for ballot initiative efforts to raise needed revenue, though be sure to read about legislators nullifying voter-approved initiatives in Maine and elsewhere in our “what we’re reading” section.
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blog July 27, 2017 State Rundown 7/27: State Legislative Debates Winding Down but Tax Talk Continues
While only a few states still remain mired in overtime budget debates, there is plenty of budget and tax news from around the country this week. Efforts are underway to repeal gas tax increases in California and challenge a local income tax in Seattle, Washington. And New Jersey legislators’ law to modernize its tax code to tax Airbnb rentals has been vetoed for now.
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blog July 19, 2017 State Rundown 7/19: Handful of States Still Have Their Hands Full with Tax and Budget Debates
Tax and budget debates drag on in several states this week, as lawmakers continue to work in Alaska, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. And a showdown is brewing in Kentucky between a regressive tax shift effort and a progressive tax reform plan. Be sure to also check out our “What We’re Reading” section for a historical perspective on federal tax reform, a podcast on lessons learned from Kansas and California, and more!
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blog July 11, 2017 State Rundown 7/11: Some Legislatures Get Long Holiday Weekends, Others Work Overtime
Illinois and New Jersey made national news earlier this month after resolving their contentious budget stalemates. But they weren’t the only states working through (and in some cases after) the holiday weekend to resolve budget issues.
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blog June 28, 2017 State Rundown 6/28: States Scramble to Finish Budgets Before July Deadlines
This week, several states attempt to wrap up their budget debates before new fiscal years (and holiday vacations) begin in July. Lawmakers reached at least short-term agreement on budgets in Alaska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, but such resolution remains elusive in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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blog June 21, 2017 State Rundown 6/21: Crunch Time for Many States with New Fiscal Year on Horizon
This week several states rush to finalize their budget and tax debates before the start of most state fiscal years on July 1. West Virginia lawmakers considered tax increases as… -
blog June 14, 2017 State Rundown 6/14: Some States Wrapping Up Tax Debates, Others Looking Ahead to Next Round
This week lawmakers in California and Nevada resolved significant tax debates, while budget and tax wrangling continued in West Virginia, and structural revenue shortfalls were revealed in Iowa and Pennsylvania. Airbnb increased the number of states in which it collects state-level taxes to 21. We also share interesting reads on state fiscal uncertainty, the tax experiences of Alaska and Wyoming, the future of taxing robots, and more!
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blog June 7, 2017 State Rundown 6/7: Kansas Success Story and Other State News
This week, we celebrate a victory in Kansas where lawmakers rolled back Brownback’s tax cuts for the richest taxpayers. Governors in West Virginia and Alaska promote compromise tax plans. Texas heads into special session and Vermont faces another budget veto, while Louisiana and New Mexico are on the verge of wrapping up. Voters in Massachusetts may soon be able to weigh in on a millionaire’s tax, the California Senate passed single-payer health care, and more!
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blog May 31, 2017 State Rundown 5/31: Budget Woes Spurring Special Legislative Sessions
This week, special legislative sessions featuring tax and budget debates are underway or in the works in Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, and West Virginia, as lawmakers are also running up against regular session deadlines in Illinois, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, a legislative study in Wyoming and an independent analysis in New Jersey are both calling for tax increases to overcome budget shortfalls.
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blog May 24, 2017 State Rundown 5/24: Several States Scramble to Finalize Budgets
This week, Kansas lawmakers continued work on fixing the fiscal mess created by tax cuts in recent years, as legislators in Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and West Virginia attempted to wrap up difficult budget negotiations before their sessions come to an end, and Delaware lawmakers advanced a corporate tax increase as one piece of a plan to close that state’s budget shortfall. Our “what we’re reading” section this week is also packed with articles about state and local effects of the Trump budget, new 50-state research on property taxes, and more.
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blog May 18, 2017 State Rundown 5/18: Tax Debate Heat Wave Hitting States
This week saw tax debates heat up in many states. Late-session discovered revenue shortfalls, for example, are creating friction in Delaware, New Jersey, and Oklahoma, while special sessions featuring tax debates continue in Louisiana, New Mexico, and West Virginia. Meanwhile the effort to revive Alaska’s personal income tax has cooled off.
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blog May 10, 2017 State Rundown 5/10: Spring Tax Debates at Different Stages in Different States
This week saw a springtime mix of state tax debates in all stages of life. In West Virginia and Louisiana, debates over income tax reductions and comprehensive tax reform are… -
blog May 3, 2017 State Rundown 5/3: Lawmakers See Value in State EITCs, Danger in Tax Cut Triggers
This week, Kansas lawmakers found that they’ll have to roll back Gov. Brownback’s tax cuts and then some to adequately fund state needs. Nebraska legislators took notice of their southern… -
blog April 27, 2017 State Rundown 4/27: States Finally Reaching Resolution on Gas Taxes
This week, transportation funding debates finally concluded with gas tax updates in Indiana, Montana, and Tennessee, and appear to be nearing an end in South Carolina. Meanwhile, Louisiana and Oregon lawmakers debated new Gross Receipts Taxes, and Texas legislators considered eliminating… -
blog April 19, 2017 State Rundown 4/19: Alaska’s Long Income Tax Freeze May Be Thawing
This week Alaska‘s House advanced a historic bill to reinstate an income tax in the state, Oklahoma‘s House voted to cancel a misguided tax cut “trigger,” West Virginia‘s governor colorfully vetoed… -
blog April 12, 2017 State Rundown 4/12: Season in Transition as Some States Close, Others Open Tax Debates
This week in state tax news we see Louisiana‘s session getting started, budgets passed in New York and West Virginia, Kansas lawmakers taking a rest after defeating a harmful flat… -
blog April 5, 2017 State Rundown 4/5: Focus on Major Tax Bills Intensifies
This week in state tax news we saw a destructive tax cut effort defeated in Georgia, a state shutdown avoided in New York, and lawmakers hone in on major tax…