Last month, Stateline did a series on the State of the States. Click the links below for more detailed information on what 2012 holds for the 50 states in the union.

Will the GOP Moderate Its Approach?
Republicans are pushing an ambitious agenda, but seem to be doing it in a less confrontational way this year, wary that the voters will be watching and that partisan finger-pointing may cause them to lose their majorities.

What to Expect from Washington
A long siege of deadlock and dysfunction in Washington has left states frustrated and wondering what to expect from the federal government in 2012. About the only thing they know for sure is that it is not going to be a year of generosity

The Medicaid Problem
Continuing sluggishness in the economy means that Medicaid rolls are still rising. But with the federal stimulus program over, support from Washington is no longer going up along with enrollments. The result is that Medicaid spending is ballooning, despite deep cuts states have made over the past three years to make the federal-state health insurance program for the poor less generous.

Labor Fights Back
Labor is learning to live by a new set of rules governing collective bargaining and other matters, the product of new laws in nearly a dozen states. But labor also  is fighting back in some states, hoping to reverse some of what was lost and in some cases to exact revenge on political opponents.

A Better Budget Year
There are asterisks on all this positive news. While state revenues are generally up, they fell so far during the recession that most states have not caught up to where they were before. But for the first time in five years, some state legislatures are positioned to put money toward top priorities rather than cut, cut, cut.