Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to shift future rank-and-file state workers to a 401(k)-style retirement plan is unconstitutional because it didn't receive enough support from lawmakers, a judge ruled Thursday.

House Speaker Will Weatherford wants to eliminate pensions for all new employees and replace them with 401(k)-style accounts.

Of all the states, Illinois seems the most blatant example of state finances gone awry. Its ballooning pension system is to blame.

Gov. Corbett said Wednesday that he would not slash funding in his forthcoming budget for basic education or the four state-related universities, although that could change if there was no legislative giveback on reining in public-employee pension costs.

Governor Deval Patrick proposed a $34.8 billion state budget that increases funds for transportation and education, as well as aid to cities and towns, while at the same time calling for a major hike in taxes.

Red ink is on the rise in the state budget again, with a new deficit topping $64 million just one month after lawmakers met in special session to balance the books.

Lawmakers won't completely stop hoarding dedicated funds as they write this session's budget, though they'll reduce the practice somewhat, the Senate's new lead budget writer said.

Some existing or expiring fees, however, received new life, including an assessment fee on the state’s electric utilities, that had been set to expire in 2014. Gov. Cuomo proposed extending the added fee for another five years.

Corrections spending currently accounts for $53.3 billion in state budget expenditures nationwide, with the majority of funding going toward prisons. In 2011, corrections costs took up 7.5 percent of all state general fund expenditures.

Over all, the proposed $142.6 billion budget represents a 5.3 percent increase over the current one, but much of the increase will be covered by federal money provided for the recovery from Hurricane Sandy and the enactment of the health care law championed by President Obama.