TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State agencies are raising a myriad of things government would not be able to do if July 1 comes and goes without a new state budget.
The list of what state government would stop doing is 65 pages long.
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The Department of Revenue said child support payments would stop, because no one would be on duty to process them. The National Guard would stop training, fishing licenses couldn't be sold and nuisance bears would be left roaming.
The scenarios all contained in 65 pages submitted to the governor detail what state agencies would and would not due if lawmakers don't pass a budget by July 1.
The Department of Law Enforcement said it would no longer be able to run background checks on potential gun buyers.
But here's the catch: under state law, if the gun buyer doesn't get an answer from FDLE in three days, they get the gun.
"I'm sure once everything gets going again, we'd have to turn in all the paperwork on people who did buy guns. And the government would check if there were felons who bought them, I'm sure they'd go pick them up," said pawn shop owner Mark Folmar.
Forget about buying a lottery ticket: 9,000 retailers would be out $6 million a week they earn on commissions.
"So when you don't have people wanting to go in and buy lottery tickets, and while they are there, they also get food, snacks, beer, gas, whatever it might be, you're also losing these extra purchases they would make," said James Miller, of the Florida Retail Federation.
The child abuse hot line would continue taking calls and investigating reports of abuse. Unemployment benefits would continue to flow. But the Agency for People with disabilities said it would have to kick out more than 600 people from state care.
Highway construction projects would also stop in their tracks. But here's something motorists might like: the state would stop collecting tolls.
Lawmakers begin a special session on June 1 that will last at least 20 days. They have been feuding over Medicaid expansion, which ironically could stop paying current providers if no budget deal is reached.