Now that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed the state budget, the Controller's Office is working overtime to get the checks out to those who weren't paid during the two month stalemate. Sacramento reporter Marianne Russ has more.
Tens of thousands of checks for hospitals and nursing homes are being printed, sorted and stacked at the State Controller's office. They're reimbursements for Medi-Cal -- the state's low-income healthcare program. The institutions haven't been paid for weeks because of the late budget.
Dorothy Cottrill with state disbursements says the checks will go out Tuesday night.
Cottrill : We adjust our priorities and look for how we can work most efficiently to be able to get the medical out as quickly as possible because those institutions are really hurting right now.
Controller John Chiang asked state agencies to identify who was most in need -- and those checks are being expedited. He expects his office to absorb the roughly $35,000 worth of overtime staffers will work.
Cottrill says lawmakers' checks are set to go out Monday. Legislative staffers have already been paid.
