Governor Perdue has asked all state agencies to show they're cutting their 2009 - 2010 budgets between six and ten percent.
The Department of Human Resources is one of the agencies slashing costs, in order to meet a mid-September deadline.
DHR is the largest state agency, employing 19,000 people. It's ordering employees to take a one-day furlough a month, in order to save between $92 million and $150 million dollars.
DHR officials say that,
"All employees earning $35,569 or more (pay grade 15 and above), including all leadership and the DHR Commissioner, will take one furlough day each month."Exemptions from the furloughs include:
"Child welfare and adult protective services caseworkers [DFACS] and their direct supervisors, all direct-care staff at state hospitals and employees earning less than $35,569 (pay grade 14 and below)."DHR says they're tightening their belt in other ways, as well, including cutting:
"non-essential travel for state business, suspending all vehicle purchases until further notice, suspending non-critical equipment and supplies purchases for the next 90 days and suspending non-critical hiring unless approved by DHR Commissioner, SPA and OPB."The new policy goes into effect on September 16th.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the state economic crisis.
