Christie signs bill giving furloughed workers back pay over shutdown

 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks in to address the media after New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, N.J., announced an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse and its effect on state parks and services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. (Mel Evans/AP Photo)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks in to address the media after New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, N.J., announced an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse and its effect on state parks and services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. (Mel Evans/AP Photo)

Gov. Chris Christie has signed into law a bill that gives back pay to New Jersey state workers affected by this summer’s three-day government shutdown.

Christie said in statement Tuesday that the new law “justly reinstates” the pay state workers lost over the shutdown of nonessential government services from July 1 to July 3.

The Republican governor ordered some government services, including state parks, closed after he and the Democrat-led Legislature failed to enact a budget by the deadline. At issue was Christie’s demand to makeover the state’s biggest health insurer.

The shutdown ended after Christie was widely ridiculed when photos captured by NJ.com showed him lounging on Island Beach State Park, which was closed to the public.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

Christie signed the nearly $35 billion budget by the July 4 holiday.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal