Budget Shutdown Could Have Ripple Effect Across State

If legislators fail to reach a budget agreement and it's not signed before 12:01 am July 1st, there could be repercussions beyond the estimated 26,000 state workers who would be furloughed.

According to the Office of Financial Management, there are likely to be pockets of other workers who will be off work until a budget deal is reached.  Several Seattle-area County Health Departments are telling their workers to be prepared for furlough.   Similar groups of anywhere from 10-40 or more workers in jobs that depend all or in part on state funding will also face such interruptions.

State officials have not specified beyond the 26,000 state workers who would be affected, but it's estimated to be in the high hundreds, possibly several thousand.  A number of county health departments and other similar agencies would be affected.

The state has seen this before, the last time an extra session went into double-overtime legislators were able to avert a shutdown by passing a budget on literally the last day before workers would be furloughed.

However, most officials say even if the budget is not passed, most essential services would not be affected, at least in the beginning.