Despite the bad economy, most states have managed to balance their budgets by draining reserves, raising fees and cutting costs -- and occasionally by increasing taxes, according to a study released Wednesday.

The National Conference of State Legislatures released its report on state budget and tax actions during its national convention at the Moscone Center.

But officials there were hesitant to say whether California -- locked in legislative stalemate in the face of a $38 billion budget deficit for the prior and current fiscal years -- should take any lessons from the 43 states that have closed their budget gaps.

They noted the Golden State is far more populous and vast, with a political scene complicated by term limits and a two-thirds majority requirement for budget votes, and its deficit is larger than all the other states' combined.

Conference president Angela Monson, a Democratic state senator from Oklahoma, said she doesn't believe California to be a "laughingstock," but rather an illustration of how hard it can be for lawmakers to find their way to a solution.

"We don't laugh, we simply feel for them," she said.

Conference executive director William Pound said for California, like any other state, "there is no easy way out" of this year's budget quagmire.

But in general, he said, states with well-balanced revenue streams are better off; many have criticized California's for being too dependent on capital gains and income taxes and too closely linked to the economy's ups and downs. He also said many states didn't sock away enough money in reserve during the high-tech economy's boom years to cope with the recent downturn.

California aside, Monson said, the report found that despite "some of the most formidable budget problems in decades ... state lawmakers have done what they had to do." And with none of the report's 43 states projecting a deficit at the next fiscal year's end, "we may be sailing through the end of a very difficult storm," she said.

The report found 31 states cut spending, with 14 of those imposing across-the-board cuts ranging from 1.5 percent to 15 percent. Many states also imposed targeted cuts to programs, including prisons, Medicaid and higher education.

Also, 29 states dipped into other state funds in order to close their general fund deficits, and 23 states reduced their state workforces or took other actions affecting state workers. In 13 states, lawmakers tapped their rainy-day reserves; 11 states delayed capital projects or shifted them from pay-as-you-go status to debt-financed status. Six states tried to increase their gaming revenues, mostly by widening or instituting lotteries.

Some states have raised taxes. So far the net increase nationwide is 1.3 percent above 2002's tax collections, but officials acknowledged that will change as the final states balance their budgets. Many states raised service-specific fees, which Monson characterized as a reflection of "how difficult it is to pass broad-based tax increases."