The Williams Report
A look at fiscal headlines from statehouses nationwide
State Budgets
Louisiana: State budget woes continue
As the Pelican State faces a $133 million shortfall, lawmakers clash over raising taxes versus cutting spending.
Maryland: Board approves $82 million in cuts to state budget
The impact on head count and services will be minimal, according to State Budget Secretary David R. Brinkley.
Massachusetts: Bay State budget woes may worsen, Governor Baker’s office warns
MassHealth’s “mounting caseload” is largely to blame.
New Jersey: Half of new gas tax is being used to pay back old debt. Can state curb trend?
Over the last seven years, for every $100 spent on projects by NJ Transit and the state’s Department of Transportation, $99 were borrowed.
Pensions
National: Pension crisis: Fully funded ones a rarity
Special Report with Bret Baier cites the latest report from State Budget Solutions, a project of the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform.
National: Pension problems grow for many large U.S. municipalities
“Unfunded pension liabilities for the top 50 local governments ranked by outstanding debt have more than doubled over the last decade,” Moody’s reports.
National: State pension systems want your retirement savings to bail them out
“Beware of liberal politicians demanding your money to help you — it will only end badly,” warns Chuck DeVore, vice president of national initiatives for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
California: CalPERS is dying
Another study pegs the Golden State’s real pension debt at nearly $1 trillion.
Connecticut: Teacher pension costs to surge
Teacher pension costs are predicted to rise 28 percent in the coming year, threatening to drive the state budget further into the red.
Texas: The time to fix Texas’s public pensions is now
Texas-sized unfunded liabilities threaten to bankrupt Dallas and Houston.