The Fiscal Link

 

NCSL and NALFO Updates

Gold Award

Steve Klein, director of the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office, received the Steven D. Gold Award at NCSL’s Fall Forum in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes a person who has made a significant contribution to public financial management in the field of intergovernmental relations and state and local finance.
Read about the award

Budget Report

NCSL’s “2013 State Budget Actions” report is now available on our website. The report includes state revenue and spending data from the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Read the report

Webinar Archive

View a recorded webinar examining performance-based funding in Higher Education. Hear three experts discuss how performance-based funding is working in their states, and the short and long-term goals of performance-based funding. Watch the webinar

STate news and reports

Connecticut

The Office of Legislative Research released an issue brief, which compares local option tax administration and rates across the 50 states. Read the issue brief

Indiana

The Legislative Services Agency Office of Fiscal and Management Analysis published the “Indiana Handbook of Taxes, Revenues, and Appropriations,” providing summaries of various state and local taxes as well as other state budget information. Read the handbook

Iowa

The Fiscal Division of the Legislative Services Agency published an “Overview of Iowa Public Pension Systems,” which provides an overview and comparison of the public pension systems in the state. Read the pension report

Michigan

The Senate Fiscal Agency published an issue brief focused on one-time vs. ongoing appropriations.
Read the issue brief

Ohio

The Legislative Services Commission published the latest version of its “Budget Footnotes” newsletter, which takes an in-depth look at state finances and economic conditions, as well as national economic issues.
Read the newsletter

Federal news and reports

Bipartisan Budget Act

The Congressional Budget Office released a cost estimate of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The cost estimate found that the bill would reduce deficits by approximately $85 billion over 10 years.
Read the cost estimate

Government Shutdown

The Office of Management and Budget issued a report highlighting the “Impacts and Costs of the October 2013 Federal Government Shutdown.” The report finds the shutdown had a significant negative effect on the economy. Read the OMB report

Manufacturing Report

The U.S. Census Bureau released “Manufacturing in America,” which includes comparisons across the states. Read the census report

Other Items of interest

Retirement Study

The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems released its “2013 NCPERS Public Retirement System Study,” which includes responses from 241 state, local and provincial government pension funds. Read the study

Revenue Report

The Rockefeller Institute of Government published a “State Revenue Report,” which found strong state revenue growth in the first half of FY 2013 and less robust growth for the second half. Read the report

Payday Lending

A third report in a series from The Pew Charitable Trusts on payday lending focuses on an alternative structure for payday lending that Colorado adopted in 2010. Read the Pew report

Global Recovery

Standard & Poor’s published a research article, “Taking Stock Five Years On From the Great Financial Crisis,” which discusses the global recovery, and potential pitfalls in the future. S&P also published “Legends of the Fall,” an article focused on the U.S. economy five years after the Great Recession. Read the article