The Tennessee Legislature has approved the state's more than $31 billion annual spending plan and sent it to Gov. Bill Haslam.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that since 2009, 43 states have boosted the slice of money workers must pay toward their own retirement, changed the age when a retiree can get benefits or modified their pension plans in other ways.

A new state budget report Monday showed a steep decline in tax revenues and a widening deficit now projected at $200 million for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

State lawmakers expect to debate, vote and approve an $8.5 billion budget Tuesday in a sprint toward adjournment later this week.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland recently released three reports based on a year of research that show state and municipal finances are some of the "headwinds" that threaten economic recovery.

When state Rep. Marcus Oshiro and state Sen. David Ige agreed on an $11.2 billion state budget and a capital improvement project outlay, it ended the longest stalemate over the budget in recent memory.

Senate GOP Leader Jerry Behn of Boone describes the split-control Legislature's difficulty in shutting down its session for a second straight year as "limping" to the finish.

As the calendar turns to May, much of state government's attention will be squarely focused on the $27.1 billion proposed spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

Mississippi lawmakers approved most parts of a $5.6 billion budget with only a few arguments about the level of education funding and whether to set aside money for an anticipated legal fight over voter ID.

Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration is planning to fill a $210.5 million shortfall in revenue this year solely through cuts and consolidation even as legislators are warming to the idea of using the state's "rainy day fund" to keep the state in the black through the end of June.