Maine, New Jersey end budget stalemates

July 4 (UPI) -- Maine and New Jersey reached budget agreements, ending government shutdowns of non-emergency functions early Tuesday

Both Republican governors signed measures on the Fourth of July that halted impasses and three-day government closures.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie signed an agreement early Tuesday reached by the state's Democratic leaders and the governor.

Late Monday, the Assembly passed the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, 53-23, with one abstention and the Senate quickly voted 21-14 to send the proposal to Christie.

The agreement meant state parks and beaches reopened in time for the holiday as well as all state government offices on Wednesday.

On Sunday, photos were published of the governor and his family lounging on an empty beach that was closed due to the budget deadlock. The beach was outside the governor's residence on Island Beach State Park.

"I don't care about political optics. I care about right and wrong. If I have a choice to make between my family and political optics, I choose my family," he said during a news conference.

On Tuesday, Christie posted on Twitter: "Today I signed my final balanced budget, delivering 2 full terms of unprecedented pension stability, fiscal responsibility & tax relief."

The $34.7 billion budget agreement was a compromise over Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's largest insurer. Christie sought to gain more control over the nonprofit, which has more than $2 billion in reserve. The deal capped the group's reserves but gave legislators more say over its operation.

Christie is the most unpopular governor in the country with a 15 percent approval rating in a June Quinnipiac poll.

In Maine, Gov. Paul LePage signed a new budget Tuesday morning.

LePage declared a state of civil emergency Friday in the absence of an approved biennial budget by the state Legislature. The civil emergency began Saturday after the Legislature failed to sign a budget into law the day before.

LePage announced on Twitter: "The Maine state government shutdown is now over. Happy Fourth of July!"

LePage signed a $7.1 billion budget that doesn't increase taxes and eliminated an increase in the lodging tax from 9 percent to 10.5 percent. The state House voted 147-2 and the Senate 35-0 for the new budget.

The state government would reopen and resume normal operations, the governor said.

Like Christie, LePege is unpopular in his state with a rating of 38 percent last year in a Morning Consult poll.

Last August, Democrats in Maine called on LePage to resign after a profanity-laced tirade on a state lawmaker's voicemail and blaming the state's drug problem on blacks and Hispanics.