Indiana's state tax collections are now slightly ahead of projections for the budget year after a big revenue jump during April.

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.

A major state error has cost cash-strapped counties $206 million, resulted in three resignations and prompted an outside audit of the Indiana Department of Revenue.

Before the ink dried on Gov. Mitch Daniels' signature making Indiana the 23rd "right to work" state in the nation, advocates on both sides were looking ahead to how the new law will affect Hoosiers.

House Democrats refused to come to the House floor again tonight, saying they needed more time to prepare an amendment seeking a public referendum on the controversial "right to work" legislation.

Indiana is considering right-to-work legislation. While debate on the merits of right-to-work legislation has largely focused on the policy's ramifications for economic growth and union membership, the potential impact on state budgets should also be considered. Click here for more information.

The Indiana House went into session for the first time in 2012, as Democrats ended their walk-out which began on Wednesday.

The finish line may be in sight for an end to the House Democratic walkout and the passage of the "right to work" bill that prompted it.

Indiana's state tax collections continue to run well ahead of a year ago, with last month's revenue nearly 5 percent greater than in December 2010.

Gov. Mitch Daniels rescinded the Statehouse security policy that caused public outcry and concerns that it would limit public access to state government, saying he would "restore the traditional unlimited access" to the building.

Before the ink dried on Gov. Mitch Daniels' signature making Indiana the 23rd "right to work" state in the nation, advocates on both sides were looking ahead to how the new law will affect Hoosiers.

House Democrats refused to come to the House floor again tonight, saying they needed more time to prepare an amendment seeking a public referendum on the controversial "right to work" legislation.

Indiana is considering right-to-work legislation. While debate on the merits of right-to-work legislation has largely focused on the policy's ramifications for economic growth and union membership, the potential impact on state budgets should also be considered. Click here for more information.

The Indiana House went into session for the first time in 2012, as Democrats ended their walk-out which began on Wednesday.

The finish line may be in sight for an end to the House Democratic walkout and the passage of the "right to work" bill that prompted it.

Gov. Mitch Daniels rescinded the Statehouse security policy that caused public outcry and concerns that it would limit public access to state government, saying he would "restore the traditional unlimited access" to the building.

Indiana is poised to become the latest state central to the broad debate over the role of employee unionization in America. Republican leaders in the state, with the backing of Governor Mitch Daniels, plan a push for the adoption of "right-to-work" legislation before the Super Bowl kicks off in Indianapolis on February 5. 

The Republican leader of the Indiana House said Tuesday his patience was wearing thin with boycotting Democratic legislators and that different strategies were being considered to end the impasse that has entered its fourth week.

Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin and Indiana ratcheted up the pressure on their absent Democratic colleagues Thursday, aiming to force an end to standoffs over bills that would limit public workers' bargaining rights.

House adjourns after Democrats say they won't return to Statehouse this week.

Student-centered funding systems have demonstrating results in equalizing funding for all students, closing the achievement gap and improving high school outcomes in school districts across the United States. This school finance mechanism seems especially suited for Indiana where the majority of school funding is already allocated at the state level.

Establish limited priorities for Oklahoma’s state government. Once limited priorities are set, everything else should be considered according to these priorities. The state currently has hundreds of agencies, boards, and commissions; it’s no wonder there is chronic overspending and regular “revenue shortfalls.”

By promoting the use of health savings accounts as well as using a realistic budget process, Indiana serves as a fiscal model worth duplicating by fellow states.

The Citizens’ Checklist outlines a series of adjustments that all stakeholders in K-12 education should consider, discuss and implement in order to avoid or minimize any reduction in teaching staff that affects classroom instruction and learning.

Paper suggesting a variety of ways to fixing state budgets in crisis, including freezing or slowing public employee salary growth, privatizing infrastructure and state operations, eliminating prevailing wage and placing constitutional limits on taxing and spending.

In 21 states, certian public employees can increase their pensions by buying credit for extra years, even though they did not work in those years.

Establish limited priorities for Oklahoma’s state government. Once limited priorities are set, everything else should be considered according to these priorities. The state currently has hundreds of agencies, boards, and commissions; it’s no wonder there is chronic overspending and regular “revenue shortfalls.”

Thousands of retired state and local government workers were shocked on Friday when they discovered that their monthly pension checks were substantially reduced.

Nearly everywhere, tax revenue plummeted as property values tanked, incomes dwindled and consumers stopped shopping. Falling prices for stocks and real estate have made mincemeat of often underfunded public pension plans. Unemployed workers have swelled the demand for welfare and Medicaid services. Governments that were frugal in the past are just squeaking by. Governments that were lavish in the good times, building their budgets on optimism and best-case scenarios, now risk being wrecked like a shantytown in an earthquake.

Paper suggesting a variety of ways to fixing state budgets in crisis, including freezing or slowing public employee salary growth, privatizing infrastructure and state operations, eliminating prevailing wage and placing constitutional limits on taxing and spending.

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

On February 14^th, we celebrate love, family, and our partners. When it comes to celebrating partners, state governments have a number of Valentines. Because state governments continue to award the sweetest deals to their sweethearts, big business, they are never alone in love on Valentine's Day.

Movement toward school choice is a good thing; school choice helps out struggling state budgets as well as struggling student test scores.

The fictional town's collection of public servants and entrepreneurs provides an apt lens through which to examine the state of public and private sector collective bargaining in Indiana. 

Will the public ever appreciate the connection between taking on the unions and saving state government services for future generations? The answer may determine whether other states will be able to use Wisconsin and Indiana as models.

Not only will agricultural subsidies legislation disproportionately affect the budgets of Heartland states, it also may play a more influential role in the upcoming Presidential election than a cursory count of electoral votes and voting trends indicate. 

The accomplishments of Gov. Daniels should serve as an example to other states who are still struggling with unsustainable budgets.

Last week, Gov. Mitch Daniels authorized “efficiency dividend payments” of up to $1000 to state employees who helped Indiana come out of the last fiscal year with a budget surplus of $1.2 billion. The surplus is a result of higher than expected revenues and large spending cuts by state agencies.

Connecticut, Kansas, Indiana and Nebraska are finalizing their budget for the coming fiscal year(s). Read about those states and see the budget deficits in all 50 states.

To balance his state's budget, Gov. Daniels pursues major reforms that lead to long-term structural balance in the budget while simultaneously enhancing services provided by the state.