Maryland
Budget Woes Not Affecting Business Development
Happily for Maryland—and particularly the counties close to Washington—the state's budget problems have not taken a toll on attracting new businesses. Factor in the influx of thousands more residents through a mandated military realignment, and Maryland remains a key relocation destination, say economic development officials. This despite Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) plan to raise income taxes for the highest earners, most of whom live in Montgomery.
Source: The Gazette

New York
State to Look for More Business Loopholes
Next year's state budget won't raise taxes but may include some more business "loophole closers," such as the ones that cost New York businesses hundreds of millions of dollars this year, Budget Director Paul Francis said last week. Last year the Legislature adopted changes to the tax code, including making it harder for banks to take deductions for some real estate investments. Some business leaders said that amounted to a tax increase. The new fiscal year doesn't start until next April 1, but Francis said Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) intends to launch a series of public meetings next week to get input on spending priorities.
Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Arkansas
Hunting, Fishing Help State Economy, Study Says
Legislators last week touted a study that showed hunting and fishing and related activities generate more than $1.4 billion annually for Arkansas' economy. The report, based on a five-year study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, found that 26% of Arkansas' population hunt or fish regularly, and that sportsmen contribute nearly $100 million in state and local taxes and directly support nearly 18,000 jobs in the state, an official from the Game and Fish Commission said.
Source: Arkansas News Bureau

Florida
Lawmakers Propose Business Property Tax Cap
As the legislative session winds down, members of the House of Representatives have introduced its newest tax plan—Save Our Business—to place a first-ever tax cap that could protect businesses but shift some tax burden back to primary homeowners. The House has proposed a 5% annual assessment cap for all nonhomesteaded property, which would create a Save Our Homes type protection for commercial property and second homes. Under the current Save Our Homes program, only homeowners' taxes are capped at 3%, while nonhomestead property owners face a tax increase based on their taxable values every year.
Source: Miami Herald

Iowa
State to Consider Tougher Fines for Veterans' Employers
Iowa employers who refuse to rehire servicemen and women returning from war could face prosecution under a proposal that state lawmakers say they will consider in January. The proposal in Iowa would create possible criminal charges for violators and make the appeals process less cumbersome, because federal hearings can take months, legislators said. It would also require employers to reimburse military members for pay lost during the time their jobs were denied to them.
Source: The Des Moines Register

New Mexico
Increasing Liquor-License Fees Taking Toll on Small Businesses
A state official warned last week that increasing prices for liquor licenses could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the owners of many small- or medium-sized businesses to buy a license. Edward Lopez, superintendent of the state's Regulation and Licensing Department, warned that with prices as high as $600,000, liquor licenses costing one million dollars are not far off. The department recently began posting a list of liquor-license prices dating back to March 2005.
Source: The New Mexican

Arizona
State Leads in Checking Worker Status
Arizona has surpassed California as the state with the most employers using a federal database to verify the employment eligibility of new workers and screen out illegal ones. As of early last week, 3,204 employers had signed up to use E-Verify, surpassing the 3,118 in California, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. California, however, has 1.26 million employers compared to Arizona's 150,000.
Source: The Arizona Republic

Washington
Workers Due More Pay for Road Time, State Supreme Court Says
Home security technicians who drive a company truck straight from their homes to the job site should be paid for their daily commutes, the state Supreme Court ruled late last week. Brink's Home Security's "home dispatch program," allowed some security technicians to start their day's work by driving a company truck directly from their homes to a job site. But Brink's didn't pay those technicians for their first and last trips of the day, unless the workers were behind the wheel for more than 45 minutes. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court said that policy violated Washington's minimum wage laws.
Source: The Olympian