When the General Assembly returns to the Capitol on Tuesday, lawmakers are scheduled to vote on a third version of the state's two-year, $85 billion budget as state and local agencies brace for the impact of a potentially delayed spending plan.

While Republican Gov. Dave Heineman trumpets his tax-cut plan just approved by lawmakers as a way to give working Nebraskans more money in their pockets, many people worry about how the state is going to pay for it without making cuts to critical programs and services.

The governor urged legislators to cut billions from state services, saying delaying the reductions is driving the deficit ever higher as revenue lags. Democrats plan to wait for new income figures.

A research and advocacy group with close business ties urged Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday to veto $149.6 million in spending "turkeys."

The prison sale is one of a number of efforts the Department of Corrections is attempting in order to cut costs and balance their budget this year.

The Colorado House on Thursday approved a $19 billion state budget on a 64-1 vote - a rare feat of near unanimity on the state's annual spending plan.

The budget contains a total of $31 million in new spending for 2012 and 2013, which is offset by $41.8 million in general fund savings. Much of the document involves shifting savings from one area to fund a shortfall somewhere else.

Gov. Steve Beshear said early Friday morning that he would call a special legislative session to begin Monday after the Kentucky State Senate failed to pass legislation to fund the state's road plan over the next two years.

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Gov. Cuomo trimmed budget fat Wednesday by vetoing more than $642,000 in legislative pork.

The State Budget Committee on Friday will begin reviewing a second programming mistake made by the Department of Revenue that short-changed local governments more than $200 million over about 14 months.

The Kentucky governor vetoed more than three dozen line-items in the $19 billion, two-year state budget, as leading lawmakers continued trying to hammer out an agreement on a road-building plan for the next biennium.

The $32.3 billion budget is based on several optimistic assumptions -- including that state tax collections will rebound after they came in lower than expected in five of nine months in the current budget year.

The Washington state Legislature has approved a supplemental budget, setting them up for a final adjournment of an overtime legislative session.

Spending next year from the state General Fund for non-education agencies would drop about $345 million, 19.9 percent, from this year's expected spending.

The Senate's draft, which now heads to conference committee, reflects both Senate and administration priorities, notes Sen. David Ige, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Gov. Martin O'Malley now must decide whether and when to call a special session after the meltdown of a Maryland budget compromise that would have raised income taxes to avert about $512 million in cuts

Washington lawmakers agreed Tuesday to reduce benefits for future state workers who take early retirement, making a pact that had eluded them for months and delayed final action on the state budget.

Legislative leaders call for special session to resolve financial issues.

Senators have developed plans to keep funding steady for higher education while offering a small boost to public school districts.