States begin long climb to recovery, By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline Staff Writer: “The worst may be over as the bleeding in state budgets finally slowed this year, but the repercussions of how lawmakers made up the more than $100 billion in budget shortfalls to balance their fiscal 2011 spending plans will be felt throughout state government for years to come. Look to nearly any state for examples of profound changes to the kinds of services states can no longer afford. In the new fiscal year that begins for most states July 1, Arizona eliminated state funding for full-day kindergarten and closed some parks. Virginia will no longer pay for eye glasses for the poor. South Carolina nearly cut in half funding for the agency that inspects restaurants and investigates fraud allegations. College students, meanwhile, faced double-digit tuition hikes in Arizona, California, Florida and New York…For the 45 states that had regular legislative sessions this year, uncertainty was the watchword as recovery from one of the nation’s deepest recessions has been choppy at best. Unemployment remains stubbornly high, hitting some states harder than others. Nevada, for example, saw its jobless rate hit a record 14 percent, the first time in six years that a state other than Michigan had posted the highest rate. Meanwhile, North Dakota continued to enjoy the lowest jobless rate with 3.6 percent…”