Colorado
Unions Push Forward on Initiatives
Business and labor factions are pressing ahead with competing voter initiatives despite efforts by Gov. Bill Ritter (D) to discourage them. A labor-backed coalition called Protect Colorado's Future is pushing for two ballot initiatives, including a constitutional amendment that would require employers to prove "just cause" for firing employees, and a measure, backed by workers affected by corporate fraud, that would allow any Coloradan to sue executives engaged in criminal wrongdoing.
Source: Rocky Mountain News

Georgia
State Tax Revenue Shrinking
With the economy slowing, state tax collections fell in March, adding to an already-gloomy budget forecast last week on the eve of the final day of the 2008 legislative session. Revenue collections fell 1.6% last month, or $19 million from March 2007, the Georgia Department of Revenue reported Thursday. The decline makes it all the more likely that the state will have to dip into its $1.5 billion reserve fund to pay its bills.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Iowa
State Increases Tax Revenue Estimates
Iowa's ability to buck the national economic slowdown persuaded state officials Friday to increase the state's revenue outlook by a total of $127 million for the current and coming budget years. Iowa's strong agricultural economy, accompanied by low unemployment, is part of the reason the state remains in strong fiscal shape, economic and tax watchdog groups said. Gov. Chet Culver (D) urged lawmakers to use some of the money to pump up the state's savings accounts, which would be available in future years if Iowa's economy takes a downturn.
Source: The Des Moines Register

Louisiana
State Puts Cap on Bond Projects
Business developers applying for the $1.9 billion in bond money that the state expects to have left to help rebuild areas after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will be limited to a maximum of $100 million each, the State Bond Commission voted Thursday. The commission approved a lengthy set of guidelines from Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) office that lowers the limit for new projects from $250 million. The state last year put the brakes on approving any more Gulf Opportunity Zone Bonds because the projects approved had eaten up the lion's share of the $7.8 billion in bond money.
Source: The Times-Picayune

Maryland
Lawmakers Replace Tech Tax With Millionaire Tax
The Maryland Senate voted last week to repeal the computer services tax and replace it with a combination of cuts and an income tax surcharge on millionaires. The bill would scrap sales tax on computer services (expected to generate about $200 million a year) and instead impose a three-year surcharge on personal earnings exceeding $1 million. The surcharge, which would affect about 6,000 Marylanders, would create a tax bracket of 6.25% and generate about $110 million a year, according to fiscal estimates.
Source: The Baltimore Sun