They're cutting their spending. Georgia may end up $3B in the red.
How serious are Georgia lawmakers taking the situation?In Utah, the budget may be $1B in the red.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the Senate’s president, said Wednesday that both chambers are putting a hold on politically popular special project grants to communities and organizations, which are commonly called “pork” at the Capitol.
“As we face a significant budget shortfall in our state, the Senate is working to identify essential government spending, prioritize that spending and find further efficiencies,” Cagle said. “Local assistance grants should not be exempt from consideration.”
When it comes to Utah, the report concluded, "Considering the circumstances, the state is doing relatively well. Officials still have options, such as the rainy day fund ($414 million) or bonding to get through the shortfall."Over at Scipio's blog, I cautioned against red state gloating. Having read a little more about what the various states are doing, I'd suggest that Georgia and Utah are rolling up their sleeves and dealing with the problem like adults. I'm not so sure about the others.
But the analysts at the organization, based in Washington, D.C., also sounded a note of caution about Utah's fiscal future: "Nevertheless, officials face some difficult choices in the 2009 general session."
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has rolled out his plan for dealing with those choices, a $10.6 billion budget that includes across-the- board cuts of as much as 7 percent that likely mean employee layoffs, as well as a $50 million increase in motor-vehicle registration fees.
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Minnesota is a red state. But with a Republican govenor. And a balanced budget amendment.
Larges cuts are being made. We're not running off crying for handouts. Well, yet anyway.
I have a feeling my state is going to be paying to bail out California.
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