Gov. Raimondo Says Government Won't Shut Down Amid Budget Impasse

State government will not shut down, even as Rhode Island moves into a new fiscal year without a new budget. Lawmakers in Rhode Island’s House and Senate failed to pass a budget before abruptly ending the General Assembly session last week.

Gov. Gina Raimondo said state departments will continue to operate following last year’s fiscal budget. Raimondo said the plan will work in the short term, but the state will soon owe money it hasn’t yet allocated for a variety of promised payouts.

“July 31st, August 1st, there will be payments to cities and towns, there will be payments to cities and towns for schools aid and for aid to cities and towns, and that will be one of the first times that people will notice a big difference,” Raimondo said.

Raimondo said the longer the gridlock lasts, the harder it will be to maintain departments.

Read more: http://ripr.org/post/gov-raimondo-says-government-wont-shut-down-amid-budget-impasse