Will The Budget Battle Spoil Fourth Of July Fun In Washington State Parks?

By Austin Jenkins
File photo. A partial government shutdown in Washington state would mean state parks closing just in time for the Fourth of July holiday. WASHINGTON STATE PARKS - TINYURL.COM/Y8ZLZ8CA

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If Washington lawmakers don’t pass a state budget by June 30, the state will go into a partial government shutdown. And the impacts would be significant.

So what would that look like?

It would look like is about 30,000 state employees being furloughed or temporarily laid off. It would look like state parks closing just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

If Washington State Parks were to close during the first week of July, it would affect an estimated 1.4 million park goers.

In addition, many state services would be curtailed or limited. For instance, prisons would still operate but community corrections where they supervise former inmates in the community would cease to happen.

We’ve been here before—in 2015 and 2013 the state went right up to the edge, preparing for a government shutdown. It didn’t happen, but some government insiders have said that this is the point at which they start to get nervous.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network. To see more, visit Northwest News Network.

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