Pew Research: how other states are dealing with a revenue surplus

So far, it looks like our surplus will be spent with a record $319 million tax cut by slashing part of the grocery tax, a targeted income tax bracket relief, and current part of the sales tax on energy consumption for manufacturers. There are also calls to use the surplus to create a $200 million rainy day fund and to spend some $250 million in one-time needs for school facilities (among other items further down the priority list: highway projects, increased turnbacks for cities/counties, etc.). Here's a graphic from Pew Research showing how other states are addressing a surplus in revenues:

Here are some specific 2006 examples:

- Florida slashed taxes by nearly $300 million.

- Illinois spent $135 million to create the nation's first statewide preschool program for both 3- and 4-year-olds.

- Minnesota approved measures to build a $522 million baseball stadium for the Minnesota Twins and a $248 million football stadium for the University of Minnesota.

- New Mexico earmarked $762 million for construction projects, including $100 million to build a commercial spaceport that one day could offer space tourism.

- New York agreed to nearly $1 billion in grants and tax breaks for a computer chip manufacturing plant in the northeastern part of the state.

- Wyoming cut $100 million in taxes by eliminating the sales tax on groceries and approved $2.1 billion in new education funding - a 24 percent increase that could boost it to first or second in the nation in per-pupil spending.