State Rep. Joseph Pavlov this week voted in favor of a plan to prevent a state government shutdown and keep critical services available to local residents.

The state’s fiscal year ended on October 1, and a deal has been struck to on a new state budget. However, the state Senate was unable to garner enough votes to pass the deal in time, threatening a shutdown of state government. Pavlov voted in favor of HB 4161, which funded state government for an additional week while the final pieces of the new state budget were passed.

“We are finalizing a very good plan for the new state budget, but it isn’t done yet. We simply cannot let this delay create problems for the people who rely on us,” said Pavlov. “From Medicaid patients to people trying to update their drivers licenses, a state shutdown could hurt a lot of people in our community. I voted to keep our schools open and our government on the job.”

A final state budget was later passed into law on October 3 but has yet to be signed by the governor. With the passage of HB 4161, the state government will now stay open until the final state budget is signed into law.