Delaware
New Fee Added to Retail Business Licenses
Retailers in Delaware will soon have to pay an additional $15 for their business licenses. The Division of Revenue is assessing the fee to fund the state Attorney General's Retail Crime Unit. Established under the terms of legislation signed into law by Governor Minner in July, the fee applies to new licenses and renewals beginning Tuesday. The new unit will prosecute retail crime throughout the state and will be funded solely by the annual fee.
Source: Associated Press

Florida
Falling Lottery Sales Reduce Education Funds
The Florida Lottery, a longtime cash cow for public education, can no longer pay its share of the bill. Because of those falling lottery revenues Tallahassee lawmakers have tapped $48-million from an account filled with unclaimed checks, forgotten utility deposits and other unclaimed property to stave off cuts to education. Lottery money helps to run schools, community colleges and universities and pays for Bright Futures scholarships and other financial aid. It accounts for about 7.5% of the state's $21.1-billion education budget.
Source: St. Petersburg Times

Idaho
Winter's Coming—So Are High Heating Bills
The Energy Information Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, is projecting that natural gas and heating oil expenditures for the average household using oil will increase 30% and  will rise 19% for homes using natural gas over costs last winter. In Idaho, up to 34,000 households statewide got help through the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho's energy-assistance program last winter, which received about $8 million to $9 million from the federal government in the past few years.
Source: Associated Press

Michigan
Employers: New Tax Structure Biggest Obstacle for State
A new survey of Michigan Chamber of Commerce members found 69% of respondents were dissatisfied with Michigan taxes, with employers ranking them as the biggest problem affecting Michigan's economy. Of the 291 Michigan businesses that participated in the survey, 54% ranked the effect of the Michigan Business Tax, which replaced the state's single-business tax in January, as making the business climate worse for their companies. Twenty-eight percent of survey respondents said they would delay or cancel capital investment as a result of negative impact under the new MBT, while 27% said they would delay or cancel wage increases. Seventeen percent said they would lay off employees and 9% said they would move or cancel Michigan locations or expansions. The survey found that in general, employers are not as optimistic about the economy as they have been in previous years.
Source: Crain's Detroit Business