The short answer: probably. Another budget-extending bill is up for a vote today at noon in the state Senate, and last-minute weekend manuevering seemed to point in the direction of passing it, according to the Times-Union. If the bill fails today, however, most state workers will stay at home tomorrow:
On Friday, state agencies as per Paterson's order sent out messages to their employees, warning them that they would have to stay home on Tuesday if the extender failed. There would be exceptions, though, such as police and other emergency workers. Still, a shutdown would close state offices, and countless other government functions, from the mailing of unemployment checks to the granting of driver's licenses and auto registrations, would come to a halt.
In the Albany blogosphere, handicappers are betting that the extender will pass.
Capitol Confidential is calling a total government shutdown "unlikely," and reports that the Budget Director is feeling confident:
“We are assuming, I think rightly, that we have put together a bill that will be easy for them to pass,” he said.
The State of Politics blog is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. is voting "yes," on the bill:
Espada said in a statement that he “fully expects” to support the extender bill, which Paterson released Friday night, as long as it doesn’t contain any “surprises."
