As reported in the Washington Post on March 25, advocates of estate tax repeal have redirected their efforts to state legislatures, pressuring them to "update" their estate tax laws to reflect the changes implemented in last June’s $1.35 trillion tax cut.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND), in commenting on the current federal budget debate, observed that, "the real test for this Congress is whether or not we're going to face up to our long-term challenges." The Chairman is absolutely right in directing the country to examine the long-term impact of its policy makers' budget decisions. Before we can be prepared to deal with our long-term domestic challenges, however, we must correctly identify just what these challenges are.

A new National Priorities Project report highlights the cuts slated for state and local governments under the President’s FY 2003 budget proposal. These cuts will only further complicate matters for the vast majority of states that are already contending with budget crises. For more on the cuts and there state-by-state impact, see the full NPP analysis. The analysis will continue to be updated over the next 2 weeks, and readers are encouraged to check the NPP website if they do not see their program area covered in the analysis and tables.