State Budgets: States reporting progress:

[Thiebear]

Worst Case Scenario?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-18/schwarzenegger-orders-150-000-workers-furloughed-after-injunction-lifted.html

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said 150,000 government workers must begin taking time off without pay starting Aug. 20 following a court ruling lifting an injunction temporarily blocking the furloughs.

The California Supreme Court, saying it would review the governor’s plan, stayed decisions by lower courts that had halted the furloughs. Schwarzenegger directed state workers to take three unpaid days off each month to save cash. The high court set a Sept. 8 hearing on a challenge to the order.

California began its fiscal year on July 1 without a spending plan after Schwarzenegger and Democrats who lead the Legislature remained deadlocked over how to fill a $19.1 billion deficit. The Republican governor on July 28 issued an executive order for the monthly furloughs until a budget is passed.

Better: Virginia is a weird state though, both sides seem to do well.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Sources_Say_Virginia__Final_2010_Budget_Surplus_Nearly__404_Million-100965589.html

Aides to Gov. Bob McDonnell say the state's final 2010 budget surplus will be nearly $404 million, almost double the previous estimate.

McDonnell planned to make the announcement Thursday to the General Assembly's money committees, but senior advisors not authorized to pre-empt the governor's speech, and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said final general tax collections will total about $230 million. The remainder comes from unspent balances.

The governor's spokesman, J. Tucker Martin, refused a request for comment.

The windfall continues a dizzying and unlikely fiscal turnaround for a state whose general operating fund in January faced a $1.8 billion shortfall.

Legislative Democrats credit former Virginia governor and current Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine and maintain the surplus should never have been surprising.

[Hubbs]

Glad I'm in that second state for the moment.

[The Evil Genius]

I am almost 100% certain that the budget in California would pass on time (by June 30) every year if their wasn't a 2/3 vote requirement for passage.

14 state legislators can keep the budget from passing each year.

Why can't California have the same budget passing requirements as the other 49 states?

[Thiebear]

Why can't California have the same [insert all things here] as the other states...