Gov. Nathan Deal signed a $19.3 billion state spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year Monday, but not before using his line-item veto to cut several projects added by legislators in the final month of the 2012 session.

The Georgia House voted 143-24 and the Senate 45-0 to pass the $19.3 billion state budget for fiscal 2013, which increases state spending by about $800 million next year.

Georgia would spend $19.2 billion during the 2013 fiscal year under a budget the Senate unanimously approved Wednesday.

Aero-base budgeting appeals to a serious and widespread desire to look at public budgeting in a fresh new way, free of old assumptions, not letting past experiences control the future. The zero-base budgeting bill in 2011 show, in various ways, a greater desire for information on how state agencies operate and how their work can be evaluated, and reflect lawmakers’ concerns that their budget enactments be well-informed.

The tax plan, quietly developed by state leaders, would lower income and car taxes, while citizens would pay more when they shop online.  It would cut taxes on manufacturers, a major goal of Gov. Nathan Deal and top legislators eager to jumpstart Georgia's slow economy.

Leaders in Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin are already planning to divert some of the money landmark foreclosure deal reached last month to prop up their budgets.

State legislators and Gov. Nathan Deal will spend $104 million of the $815 million banks are paying Georgia to settle foreclosure fraud claims, but if past indications hold true, much of that money won't be going to distressed homeowners.

In a way, the very idea of state budget reform presumes some basic level of government transparency. Many simply take for granted the premise that access exists to information like budget documents and state expenditures. Yet the amount of information related to the spending of tax dollars provided by each of the state governments varies wildly.

Georgia would spend about $18.6 billion in state money this year -- an increase of nearly $255 million over what was originally planned -- under a midyear budget House members passed Friday.

Deal proposed a $19.2 million Fiscal 2013 budget, up from $18.3 million this year. "Other than funding these areas of growth, my budget calls for funding increases of three-tenths of 1 percent," Deal told assembled legislators at the State Capitol.

The Georgia House voted 143-24 and the Senate 45-0 to pass the $19.3 billion state budget for fiscal 2013, which increases state spending by about $800 million next year.

Georgia would spend $19.2 billion during the 2013 fiscal year under a budget the Senate unanimously approved Wednesday.

Back to school can also mean a trip back to campus to cheer on a favorite football team. With most teams kicking off their season this Saturday, SBS's week-long series wraps up today with a look at how state budget impact state university football programs.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed an $18.3 billion budget that increases health insurance premiums for state employees, slashes funding for Georgia's college system and cobbles together money to go after tax cheats.

The General Assembly approved an $18.3 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year Tuesday that cuts college funding and borrows from Medicaid to prop up the teacher, employee and retiree health care system.

House and Senate negotiators approved an $18.3 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year that cuts college funding and borrows from Medicaid to fund shortfalls in the teacher and employee retirement systems.

Louisiana isn't the only state looking to cut higher education budgets in tough times, according to a round-up of reports.

Gov. Nathan Deal vowed to end teacher furloughs while also proposing deep cuts to higher education and no pay raise for state employees.

Aero-base budgeting appeals to a serious and widespread desire to look at public budgeting in a fresh new way, free of old assumptions, not letting past experiences control the future. The zero-base budgeting bill in 2011 show, in various ways, a greater desire for information on how state agencies operate and how their work can be evaluated, and reflect lawmakers’ concerns that their budget enactments be well-informed.

Nearly every school system has a "Taj Mahal" tale, whether of grand buildings or fancy stadiums, because they are forced to spend E-SPLOST revenue on capital projects. But Georgians, like all Americans, have been hit hard by the recession and are ready to see government prioritize needs. Our top ten ranking in capital spending for education is a good place to start. Addressing problems like traffic congestion will require more money. But we must first take every available opportunity to realign spending to limit the tax burden on our families and businesses.

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.

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.

This all boils down to who gets to pick taxpayers' pockets first, public pensioners or municipal bond investors? More people are waking up to the hard reality that when it comes to state and local government, somebody has to lose money over the next few decades. The National Association of Bond Lawyers is worried enough about it to issue "Considerations" for advising clients who think they're getting safe investments.

Despite an organized campaign to stop public pension reform, reality is beginning to break through.  One recent report outlines a possible path to long-term solutions and another details the necessity of states and municipalities finding their own way because federal bailout is impossible.  And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a plan that could have been based on both reports.

Hey, young public employees, what are you going to do when your pension checks bounce after you paid in for decades? That is what will happen in many - maybe all - states and municipalities sooner or later if they do not reform right now. If you want to see the future, just look at Illinois. One citizen there did, and came up with a real reform plan that might work.

Public employees should take their pension money now and run to avoid risk of getting reduced benefits - or nothing - in the future. It's the best deal for them and for taxpayers. A growing chorus of credible voices including the Government Accountability Office, a Federal Reserve bank and now the Harvard Kennedy School Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government confirm state and local government finances are "spiraling out of control" and even draconian reforms only make it "more likely" that future benefits will paid in full.

Hey, young public employees, what are you going to do when your pension checks bounce after you paid in for decades? That is what will happen in many - maybe all - states and municipalities sooner or later if they do not reform right now. If you want to see the future, just look at Illinois. One citizen there did, and came up with a real reform plan that might work.

This is what it sounds like when the Federal Reserve Bank screams: "Much has been written about the various headwinds restraining economic activity over the near term. However, our economy also has other headwinds to confront over the medium- to-longer-term. ... the finances of some state and local governments are also under stress and in need of serious adjustments."  - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto