Capitol Comments

Pondering the Role of the Lieutenant Governor

The office of lieutenant governor in Illinois may be on the ropes, but the person who holds the office in neighboring Indiana stays busy.

In fact, Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman has more duties than any other lieutenant governor nationwide, according to Julia Hurst, executive director of the National Lieutenant Governors Association, an affiliate of The Council of State Governments.

A controversial primary election, and subsequent withdrawal of the Democratic nominee, in Illinois has left the embattled position of lieutenant governor with somewhat of an endangered status. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan introduced a constitutional amendment to dissolve the position.

Hurst said the trend, starting in the last decade, has been to expand the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor.

Learn more about this story at Fox Chicago News.

 

Cash-Strapped States Consider Cutting State Parks

By Mikel Chavers

Cash-strapped New York has a plan to save a little money: Shut down state parks. Sound like a new approach? It isn’t. Other states either are considering or have considered the same budget remedy.

New York plans to close 41 parks and 14 historic sites; the state currently operates 178 parks and 35 historic sites, according to the Times Union in Albany. N.Y.

“These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our state’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties,” Carol Ash, commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, told the newspaper.

The cuts will save an estimated $6.3 million in an effort to deal with statewide budget cuts.

Surplus During the Recession

Q: What does it take to have a surplus coming out of the Great Recession?

A: Oil.

Alaska is one state that has seen those benefits. The state has a $2.2 billion budget surplus thanks to higher oil prices; that will likely help the state bounce back from the recession quicker than most states.

Meanwhile, some states see losses in tax revenue at greater amounts than expected. Delaware, for one, expects only its personal income tax to return to its peak year of collections by 2014, according to a five-year forecast by the Delaware Economic and Advisory Council.