State Budgets Slowly Rebounding, But Not Yet Back to Pre-Recession Levels

States' fiscal results continue to record slow improvement but haven't rebounded to where they were before the recession struck.

The National Governors Association-National Association of State Budget Officers latest fiscal survey, released on Nov. 29, says states' projected fiscal 2012 general-fund revenue collections rose 1.6%, to $659.4 billion. But that figure is still $20.8 billion below states' cumulative 2008 level. A Dec. 1 National Council of State Legislatures report sketches a similar overall picture.

Only Colorado and Missouri cut fiscal 2012 transportation spending so far, compared with seven states' imposing mid-year 2011 transportation reductions totaling $392.4 million.

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

Post a comment to this article

60% of workers are exposed to heights greater than 5 ft daily, and workers' compensation from injury is more than $7B - it's time for construction leaders to take measures to reduce risk and create a safer work environment. We'll explore how technology can improve construction site safety and help prevent accidents before they happen.