New Jersey Budget Crisis Officially Over, Casinos Back Up

Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a $30 billion compromise spending plan Saturday night, formally ending a state budget impasse that spurred a weeklong government shutdown and shuttered Atlantic City's 12 casinos.

"I was hoping we would have something better to do than hang around the Statehouse on a Saturday night" Corzine joked before signing the spending plan shortly before 7 p.m. at his Statehouse office.

He said it was "regrettable" that the budget was adopted eight days after the July 1 deadline imposed by the state Constitution, saying it was "something that should not have occurred and can never be repeated."

The shutdown furloughed 45,000 state workers, including the state casino inspectors who by law must be present in New Jersey's 24-hour casinos. That forced the gambling halls to close, idling about 36,000 people and turning this bustling casino mecca into a ghost town during its busiest season.

July 9, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
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