ARKANSAS

Arkansas has not projected a shortfall for the current fiscal year or for the coming one. Although the state’s net available revenue for this year is $8.8 million below forecast, state finance officials have said they expect the state to meet its forecast.

TEXAS

The $4 billion that lawmakers left unspent after their last session two years ago appears to have evaporated. Now Texas could be as much as $6 billion short of the money needed just to keep the status quo for the upcoming two-year budget cycle, according to budget experts. Republican state Rep. Drew Darby said spending cuts are now certain. Texas has not been forced to make budget cuts since 2011, when a

much bigger shortfall amid the Great Recession resulted in lawmakers cutting $5.4 billion from public schools.

OKLAHOMA

The Legislature is looking at a budget hole estimated to be about $868 million, or about 12 percent of state spending, for the upcoming fiscal year. The shortfall is largely the result of plunging oil and natural gas prices, but it also stems from tax cuts and various subsidies put in place for businesses and industries, including oil and gas companies. Last year, lawmakers closed a projected $1.3 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year by making cuts to state agencies, tapping into reserves and other actions.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana has had repeated budget shortfalls for the past nine years caused by declines in oil and gas prices, tax cuts and the continued use of patchwork fixes to fill gaps rather than long-term budget corrections. The current deficit is projected at $313 million, as tax collections and other sources of state revenue continue to be lower than projected. A special session is expected in mid-February to close the current year gap.