If Washington lawmakers don’t have a budget by the end of the month, state government will shut down. But it would only be a partial shutdown.
A lot of workers and services would remain in place. To put it in perspective, there are about 60,000 general government employees in Washington state. About 26,000 of them -- fewer than half -- would be furloughed.
The Washington State Patrol and the Department Transportation would mostly remain open for business because they already have their budgets. Prison operations would also continue, but at a reduced level. Similarly, state mental hospitals and institutions for the developmentally disabled would continue to operate. As would cash benefits to the poor and Medicaid – at least initially.
Where you would see an impact: state parks would close, as would most fisheries. The state’s Working Connections Child Care program would also be suspended.
While Governor Jay Inslee’s office is planning for a partial shutdown, his budget director said there’s still “plenty of time” to get a budget deal. In 2013, an agreement wasn’t announced until June 27.
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This story has been updated to reflect the fact that Washington state's Women, Infants and Children food and nutrition program would not be suspended in the event of a partial shutdown.
