State Budget '00: Expectations Soar, But Hard Landing Ahead

In its annual analysis of state spending, MTF reports that soaring expectations are creating a demand for a combination of major spending increases and large tax cuts that cannot be sustained in the long term. The report recognizes the Legislature and administration for the important steps adopted in the 2000 budget to strengthen the state's long-term fiscal health and economic climate, but warns that preserving the state's fiscal gains will be difficult given the unrealistic expectations about what the state can afford. Includes summaries of state spending and revenues and analysis of key issues in each major area of the budget.