Workers Recalled; Budget Still Stalled in Connecticut

Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. ordered public employees to report for work today, ending a weeklong partial shutdown of state government that closed most state parks over the holiday weekend.

But the state remained without a budget Sunday, going into the second week of a new fiscal year.

At a news conference Sunday, Weicker announced he would neither sign nor veto a special continuing resolution to restart state government and keep it running until July 14. The resolution will become law Tuesday without Weicker’s signature.

The shutdown, which idled about 20,000 state workers whose jobs were not directly linked to public safety and welfare, was imposed by Weicker when the new budget year started July 1 without a spending plan in place.

Connecticut residents fumed as 25 of the state’s 28 parks were closed.

More talks between Weicker and legislators were scheduled for today.

Connecticut was among several states, including California, that were without budgets Sunday.

Maine lawmakers approved a tentative budget plan Saturday in the first step toward breaking a partisan impasse that shut many government agencies last week. Budget negotiators struck a deal for filling the last $32-million hole in a two-year, $3.2-billion spending blueprint through mid-1993.

Both houses of the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved the measure and sent it to Republican Gov. John R. McKernan Jr.

McKernan and his GOP allies have insisted on workers’ compensation changes to curb business insurance costs as a condition for accepting nearly $300 million in income, sales and gasoline tax increases.

In Pennsylvania, budget negotiators returned to the table Sunday after a three-day holiday break.

The impasse has stopped funding to schools, the elderly and 10,000 state employees.

Several hundred payless state workers protested in the Capitol last week, urging lawmakers to approve a budget.

In Illinois, state services have been unaffected by budget negotiations that stalled Saturday when Democrats rejected a Republican compromise proposal aimed at easing a budget gap.

Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican, has threatened to shut down some state services if the problem is not solved, but has not set a deadline. Talks continued Sunday.

California lawmakers took a break for the holiday weekend before facing the impasse that has grounded their $55-billion budget. Gov. Pete Wilson gave the Legislature an extra 12 days to resolve the final $2.5 billion portion of the complex deal. Negotiations were planned for Monday.

In North Carolina, lawmakers adjourned budget negotiations for the weekend. House and Senate negotiators plan to focus on education spending when they resume talks today.