With an improving economy, most state coffers have also recovered. But governors and legislators are engaged in intense battles over spending and tax priorities that may have long-term consequences for government and growth.

Organized by the Urban Institute’s State and Local Finance Initiative and the Urban–Brookings Tax Policy Center, this forum  addressed how budget pressures affect the way state and local governments make spending decisions and addressed five key questions:

• How have state finances fared since the end of the Great Recession?  
• What spending and tax choices are states likely to make? 
• Are state finances sustainable over the long term? 
• How will fiscal choices drive economic growth?  
• Have budget decisions affected criminal justice and public safety?

PANELISTS

• Howard Gleckman, senior fellow, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute (moderator)
• Joseph Henchman, vice president for legal and state  projects, Tax Foundation
• Nick Johnson, senior vice president for state fiscal policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Ryan King, senior fellow, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute
• David Quam,  deputy director, National Governors Association 
• Kim Rueben, director, State and Local Finance Initiative, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute

EVENT MATERIALS

• Event Agenda
• Speaker Biographies
• Governing with Tight Budgets -- Long Term Trends in State Finances
• The Growth Mirage: State Tax Cuts Do Not Automatically Lead to Economic Growth

For inquiries regarding this event, please contact [email protected]. 

Support for this event has been provided by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. We thank our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. The views expressed are those of the presenters and should not be attributed to our funders, the Urban Institute, or its trustees. Funders do not determine our research findings or the insights and recommendations of our experts. For more information on our funding principles, go to www.urban.org/support.