News release: “While states will benefit greatly from the federal stimulus program – receiving over $150 billion over three years – state budget gaps still loom at the end of that period, according to a new report issued today by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The report, written by Institute Senior Fellow Donald J. Boyd, says that even under the most optimistic of scenarios, state tax collections will not return to pre-recession levels until well after the 2011-2012 fiscal year, when the bulk of new assistance for states will end. At that time, states will once again face severe budget gaps, the study finds…When most of the stimulus provisions expire, Boyd said, states could face budget gaps that range from four to six percent of general expenditures – a nationwide total of $70 billion to more than $100 billion. Before accounting for new federal aid, states face an estimated overall gap of $100 billion in the coming fiscal year.”