Stung by the crisis in the national economy, the state faces a possible $3 billion shortfall in its next two-year budget, a gap that could spell shared pain for students, state workers and the poor and unemployed, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday.
The Democratic governor, facing what is at least the worst state budget since he assumed the office in 2003, said he would have to consider a long list of difficult fixes â?? job cuts, delays of approved expansions in health programs for the needy and scaling back new state money for public schools and universities.