The Paterson administration is preparing state agencies for a potential shutdown of state government that could begin as early as Monday at midnight. Paterson expressed more dire concerns. During a radio blitz, he said a shutdown would cause "anarchy literally in the streets" and "unimaginable chaos around the state."
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? Paterson, grappling with a $9.2 billion deficit and lawmakers who fear for their re-election, has been funding state government with “weekly budget extenders” since failing to win passage of a state budget on April 1. The battle turned brutal in recent days with threats by legislators to reject next week’s “extender bill” which includes massive budget cuts proposed by Paterson that would slash $327 million from human-services and mental-health spending. Legislators voting against the cuts are essentially voting to shut down the government.
HOW WILL IT AFFECT US ? Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned of a cascading collapse of essential programs and services -- a breakdown would impact millions of New Yorkers -- should key lawmakers follow through on shutdown threats. Unemployment benefits would be among the first to run dry. Other services that could be stopped under a shutdown would include safety inspections, lottery games, parks and campgrounds, courts and unemployment offices. Locally, officials said the shutdown could affect everything from Regents exams to municipal governments’ budgets. Education experts were uncertain how a shutdown would affect local school districts. Among the things that could be affected: Regents exams scheduled to begin next week, some summer school programs and districts’ ability to pay bills. Construction projects that have not yet been approved by the state also could be impacted.
