Unlike a Feb. 1 plan by the Legislature's chief budget writers, the Democratic chief executive said Thursday he wants to tap reserves to avert the closure of Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem, block a further shift of inmates to other temporary beds, and ease or cancel some smaller cuts in education and human services.

Snyder is widely expected to deliver a budget today with few increases or frills.

Last year, the Legislature approved a two-year general fund budget of $15 billion. Since then, state revenue estimates have fallen by about $300 million, forcing a new run at squaring state expenses with income.

Forty-two state court systems had significant budget cuts last year, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Lawmakers in committee voted 13-5 to put the privatization of 30 lockups across the southern end of the state on the fast track despite concerns of unions and lobbyists.  For-profit prison vendors would be required to run prisons at a cost of at least 7 percent less than what state-run prisons cost taxpayers.

The sixth-annual Tennessee Pork Report is chock-full yet again, of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of taxpayer money by state and local government officials. Despite a changing political landscape in Tennessee, wasteful government spending has not disappeared.

Georgia should continue to push the reforms that have made this one of the best managed states in the nation, but innovation is the best opportunity for true reform. Tax, regulatory and tort reform will create the right conditions for innovation in the private sector while the state pursues innovation in the areas of criminal justice, education and heath care.

despite constraints that are both political and self-imposed, we believe that it is quite possible to reduce unnecessary and wasteful spending throughout the New Mexico budget. In order to provide a guide for policymakers, the Rio Grande Foundation has compiled a list of specific budget reduction ideas.

The overcrowding of prisons and the breakdown of the parole and probation system has become a serious problem in America. Criminals released early from prison-in order to relieve overcrowding-are often poorly supervised and free to commit new crimes once they are back on the streets.

With limited corrections resources, how can Texas best protect public safety and reform offenders with every dollar spent? One answer lies in the more ef ective use of risk assessment for the more than half a million adults on probation or parole in Texas.

In corrections, there is a strong public interest in producing the greatest reduction in crime-particularly the most serious crimes-for every dollar spent. Conversely, the criminal justice system should cost-ef ectively maximize positive outcomes such as victim restitution, victim satisfaction, and the employment of of enders as productive citizens.