WA pretty much alone with current budget crisis; most states doing OK, national report shows

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• Sales tax hike could possibly be avoided

  Sales tax hike could possibly be avoided

  OLYMPIA – Washington’s budget shortfall is down to $500 million as the economy shows signs of stabilizing and people rely less on state services, leading two prominent Democrats to suggest that a solution the state’s budget problems might be possible without a temporary sales tax hike.

• Governor eyes more cuts as Calif deficit swells

  Governor eyes more cuts as Calif deficit swells

  California's sputtering economic recovery is putting a heavier-than-expected drag on state tax revenue, leading Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday to propose deep budget cuts across an array of government services and warn again that even more cuts are ahead if voters reject his tax-hike initiative in November.

• State tax collections on target: no windfall or shortfall so far

  State tax collections on target: no windfall or shortfall so far

  In the first monthly report on actual tax collections since state lawmakers passed a new budget, existing state taxes are performing exactly as predicted.

• Idaho is fertile ground for embezzlers

  Idaho is fertile ground for embezzlers

  Employee theft is common throughout the U.S. But a national study of the largest castes in the country shows that the risk for large embezzlement is higher in Idaho than many other states.

• Senate proposes increase to Hanford budget

  Senate proposes increase to Hanford budget

  The Senate is proposing increasing the Hanford budget for next year from the amount requested by the Obama administration, but the House is proposing a reduced budget.

  The early Senate version of the budget proposes a $12 million increase and the early House version proposes a $27 million cut focused on the tank farms and the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

  The report included with the House version also suggests that some legal agreements for environmental cleanup with states across the nation may not be realistic and will need to be renegotiated. The Senate report is not available yet.