Reports by Nicholas Johnson
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Results by year: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006
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Additional Federal Fiscal Relief Needed to Help States Address Recession’s Impact
Updated November 19, 2009
States face a serious fiscal problem that could force them to institute additional deep budget cuts and tax increases in 2010, weakening the fragile economic recovery and harming vulnerable children, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. The federal assistance that states received for their Medicaid programs … -
An Update on State Budget Cuts
Updated November 19, 2009
With tax revenue declining as a result of the recession and budget reserves largely drained, the vast majority of states are making spending cuts that hurt families and reduce necessary services. These cuts, in turn, will make the recession worse because families and businesses have less to spend in their local economies. … -
Recession Continues to Batter State Budgets; State Responses Could Slow Recovery
Updated November 19, 2009
The worst recession since the 1930s has caused the steepest decline in state tax receipts on record. As a result, even after making very deep cuts, states continue to face large budget gaps. New shortfalls have opened up in the budgets of at least 35 states for the current fiscal year (FY 2010, which began July 1 in … -
How Much Would a State Earned Income Tax Credit Cost in 2010?
November 12, 2009
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the nation’s most effective anti-poverty program for working families, lifting 6.5 million people — including 3.3 million children — above the poverty line each year.[1] The 24 state-level EITCs modeled after the federal program complement it in combating … -
State Earned Income Tax Credits: 2009 Legislative Update
November 10, 2009
An Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) modeled on the federal program of the same name is now offered in 23 states and the District of Columbia as a way to reduce taxes and supplement wages for low- and moderate-income working families. A large body of evidence has shown that the state and federal EITCs serve a number of important … -
I-1033's Problematic Measure of Inflation
October 15, 2009
Each year, the cost of providing health care, education, roads and other services rises. As a result, state and local governments have to spend more to provide the same level of services. Washington’s Initiative 1033 would dictate the amount of these increases in spending based not on the actual cost of those services, … -
Correcting Five Myths About the Stimulus Bill
Updated September 23, 2009
Some critics of the economic recovery law (or “stimulus” bill) that President Obama and Congress enacted early this year continue to mischaracterize how it was supposed to work and what it was supposed to do. For instance, some critics complain that, because unemployment has risen in recent months, the law is not working. Others claim … -
Tax Measures Help Balance State Budgets
Updated July 9, 2009
With the recession continuing to widen the gap between shrinking revenues and residents’ increasing need for services, a growing number of states are adopting a balanced approach to their budgets that includes revenue increases as well as spending cuts. Since January 1, 30 states have raised taxes and another seven states are considering doing … -
Myths and Realities About How States Are Using Economic Recovery Act Funds
July 9, 2009
Two major misconceptions about how state governments are using funds from the economic recovery law that President Obama and Congress enacted early this year are contributing to a broader misunderstanding about whether the law is, in fact, helping the U.S. economy. Evidence that includes a major new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) … -
Federal Fiscal Relief Is Working As Intended
Updated June 29, 2009
As dire as the states’ fiscal condition is — with dramatic revenue downturns leading in some cases to unprecedented service cuts — evidence shows this bad situation would be substantially worse if not for federal recovery assistance. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act package enacted in February included about $140 billion for states … -
If States Fail to Use Stimulus Funds as Intended, Efforts to Strengthen Economy Could Be Undercut
February 24, 2009
A few governors and legislative leaders have suggested that their states might not accept the full amount of fiscal relief in the new recovery legislation or might use the funds to finance tax cuts or build up reserves, rather than spend them as Congress intended.[1] Such actions could weaken the new law’s impact, and possibly even … -
Funding For States in Economic Recovery Package Will Close Less Than Half of State Deficits
February 20, 2009
The state fiscal situation is dire. Revenues are declining, and the need for services such as Medicaid is rising as people lose income and jobs. Before passage of the economic stimulus package, state deficits were projected to equal $350 billion over the next 30 months. Because nearly all states are required to balance their budgets, states have begun to cut … -
Most States Are Cutting Education
Updated February 10, 2009
Note: Please see Most States are Imposing Cuts that Hurt Vulnerable Residents for updated information about education cuts in state budgets. Thirty-six states have cut education or proposed such cuts because they face massive, devastating budget deficits in this recession. The combination of rising unemployment, declining consumer … -
Budget Cuts or Tax Increases at the State Level
Updated January 12, 2009
The recession is making it difficult for states to maintain balanced budgets, as nearly all of them are required to do by law. Roughly two-thirds of the states have already reduced spending and/or raised revenue to bring their budgets for the current fiscal year into balance, and additional states have indicated they will need to do so to maintain budgetary … -
Converting State Fiscal Relief to Loans Would Render It Ineffective As Stimulus
January 7, 2009
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s recent suggestion that the federal government give states loans, not grants, for fiscal relief would make the recovery package considerably less effective in stabilizing the economy and preventing the recession from becoming deeper and more prolonged.…
