THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES FROM STATELINE.ORG

From Stateline News Alert
http://www.stateline.org
(Selected by FREEDOM WRITER)
June 3, 2003

TAXES AND BUDGET:

Six states -- California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oregon and Rhode Island -- all missed July 1 budget deadlines because of partisan bickering over taxing and spending.

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ALSO:

For the first time since 1983, state government spending is expected to shrink in fiscal 2004, according to a new report from the National Association of State Budget Officers and National Governors' Association.

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CRIME AND COURTS:

A host of new state laws became effective July 1, including new statutes that make it harder to smoke in restaurants and that impose harsher penalties for drunken driving. Read More