State Ready to Send Furlough Notices to Employees If Budget Deal Fails
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state agencies are preparing to notify thousands of government workers that they may be temporarily laid off starting next week.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Jay Inslee said that agencies will send notices to workers Monday because lawmakers have been unable to finalize a budget. Spokeswoman Jaime Smith says the state is waiting until later in the day to send the letters.
The state believes 34 agencies will have to cease operations next week while another 24 agencies would face partial shutdowns.
State leaders say at least 25,000 workers would be furloughed if there is no budget deal.
Washington's current two-year budget comes to a close at the end of June. Lawmakers have been struggling for several weeks to reach compromise on how to spend government dollars in the coming two years.