Tag: budgets
Tag: budgets
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The GEAR Task Force’s “Power, Practices, Personnel” Report Draws on State-Level Policy Successes
The Government, Efficiency, Accountability, and Reform (GEAR) Task Force of the Republican Study Committee, chaired by Congressman Greg Gianforte of Montana, released a report that outlines numerous free market…
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The Williams Report: December 2018
BUDGET Illinois: State Owes Private Firms more than $327 Million in Late Interest Payment Penalties After paying $275 million in late interest payment fees, Illinois still owes third-party financers…
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Nebraska State of the State: Tax Reform on the Horizon
Last year, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (R.) received the American Legislative Exchange Council annual “Best of the Best” award for his bold, pro-growth oriented State of the…
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Victory for Taxpayers in Pennsylvania Budget
Pennsylvania taxpayers were victorious in April, as the commonwealth completed the last part of its 2015-2016 budget. Governor Tom Wolf allowed the fiscal code bill to go into effect, marking…
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State Tax Cut Roundup: 2015 Legislative Session
The 2015 legislative session featured a notable number of states achieving tax relief and tax reform for their citizens. Pro-growth tax reform was a key theme throughout the 2015 legislative…
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State of the States Report: Pro-Taxpayer Innovation on the Rise
Nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group State Budget Solutions estimates total debt in the states is at least $5 trillion. Clearly, state governments need new solutions to address today’s fiscal…
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Budget Debate Highlights Pennsylvania’s Need for Fundamental Tax and Pension Reform
Despite very different opinions on how to fix the budget, Pennsylvania legislators and the governor have agreed on something: there is a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. In the words…
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Connecticut Set to Raise Taxes, Businesses Consider Relocation
By: Ben Wilterdink and Harry Riegel Connecticut is quickly becoming the poster child for uncompetitive economic policy. As Connecticut lawmakers rushed the latest budget proposal to the governor’s desk, businesses…
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An Open Letter to Kansas Lawmakers: All Taxes Hinder Economic Growth…But Some Taxes are Worse Than Others
On May 20, 2015, ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson and Vice President of the Center for State Fiscal Reform Jonathan Williams distributed the following letter to lawmakers in the Kansas…
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Unfunded Public Pension Liabilities Reach $4.7 Trillion
As newly elected state legislators across the country consider what issues to address, they are likely to encounter the growing storm cloud of unfunded pension liabilities. According to Promises…
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Rain Tax Fines Drench Maryland’s Carroll County
Maryland’s Carroll County recently received a letter from Assistant Attorney General Paul DeSantis, threatening to fine the county $10,000 for each day that it does not enact a…
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Why work when welfare pays more?
The Cato Institute recently released an updated version of a decades-old study analyzing welfare benefits on a state-by-state basis. The study, The Work vs. Welfare Trade-Off, found that the…
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Successful Pension Reform in Rhode Island
In ALEC’s latest publication, Keeping The Promise: State Solutions For Government Pension Reform, former State Senator Dan Liljenquist details how the state of Rhode Island successfully addressed its unfunded…
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Pennsylvania Aims to Reform Government Pensions
By Fara Klein and Nick Oswald Pennsylvania legislators are gearing up to tackle one of the largest financial problems facing states today: unfunded pension liabilities. The traditional defined-benefit model for…
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Government Accountability Office Releases Annual Waste Report
Every year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases a report, first commissioned by Sen. Tom Coburn, detailing instances of waste and duplication by federal agencies. This year the waste…
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It’s Time to Release Taxpayer-Funded Private Interests
By Tessa Cramer, Policy Intern It’s always easier to spend someone else’s money. Unfortunately, this happens all too often when taxpayers are footing the bill. Currently, government employees are being…
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Myth of the Day: Austerity in the Form of Spending Cuts Will Harm Growth and Employment
The recent debates in state and federal government regarding overspending and massive deficits during a period when the economy is sluggish makes this fiscal policy myth particularly timely. Today’s myth…
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Sequestration: Putting Our States and Nation at Risk
By Karla Jones No organization is more committed to limited government, lower taxes and balancing the federal budget than the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). We have long championed fiscal…
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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Long on Opinion, Short on Research
The Left-wing Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is out with a new essay attacking the economic basis for low tax, free-market, limited government policy proposals like those laid out in …
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Preparing for an Uncertain Fiscal Future: What Other States Can Learn From Utah
By: Bob Williams and Kati Siconolfi As sequestration approaches quickly, state legislators should discuss how to provide essential services while facing possible federal aid reductions. While a majority of the…