HARRISBURG (PRNewswire-USNewswire) – Gov. Edward G. Rendell said the lack of a state budget means nearly 25,000 state employees will receive furlough notices beginning Tuesday, effectively shutting down many state services at 12:01 a.m. on Monday; the five casinos
in the state would close at 7 a.m.
“Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians are without health insurance, roads and bridges are crumbling, public transit services are being cut and medical research facilities are being lured by other states,” Rendell said. “And, the lack of a clear energy strategy is driving up our demand for foreign oil and, consequently, gas prices.
“The legislature has had nearly 150 days to study and improve the proposals I laid out in February to address these issues that are critical
to our economic future,” Rendell said. “The House is ready to meet these challenges but, since the Senate left town rather than join the House
at the negotiating table, we are forced to shut down large portions of state government services, idling nearly 25,000 valued workers. My
administration was well prepared for this unfortunate circumstance, but I regret that we’ve reached the point where furlough notifications are
necessary. We are issuing the furlough notices now so our workers and residents can properly prepare.
“It is unconscionable that our dedicated employees will receive letters telling them to stay home next week, while over the weekend, Senators gave up efforts to reach a compromise and went home,” the governor said. “There are thousands of state workers who are counting on that income to pay bills and support their local economy. Legislative inaction could devastate family budgets across the state.”
Following the guidelines of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act and commonwealth case law, nearly 25,000 employees will be notified between
Tuesday and Thursday that if a budget is not signed they should not report to work on July 9. The furloughs will effectively shut down the state’s five casinos and interrupt services including, but not limited to, drivers license centers, state parks, historic sites, museums, welcome centers on interstate highways, conservation programs, civil service testing, issuance of permits by PennDOT and environmental protection and fire academy training for first responders.
“All of our state workers are essential to provide quality services to our residents,” Rendell said. “The valued employees who will be
furloughed are those we are forced by federal law to classify as non-critical.”
Nearly 52,000 employees will continue to work and be paid as they provide services — such as state police, corrections, emergency management and public welfare assistance offices — that are classified as essential to the health, safety and welfare of residents.
Nearly 1,700 employees not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, such as Rendell and his cabinet, would continue to work but not be
paid until a budget is enacted. Another 12,400 employees would continue to work and be paid because they work in programs — such as the Game Commission, Lottery and the Liquor Control Board — where funding is not disrupted by a budget impasse.
Furlough notices are starting Tuesday, which is earlier than previously anticipated, because many state employees may have planned vacations for Thursday and Friday to extend the July Fourth holiday.
Following a negotiated agreement between the state employee labor unions and the Rendell administration, the Pennsylvania Employee Benefits
Trust Fund has agreed to voluntarily continue to provide health insurance coverage for those workers furloughed as the result of a budget impasse.
“Our residents deserve a reasonable budget that includes funding to address critical issues involving health care, energy independence,
transportation and biomedical research,” Rendell said. “Thanks to the hard and continuing work of the House Democratic majority, a number of
critical budget-related initiatives already have secured approval in the House, but they are languishing in the Senate. I urge Senate Republican
leaders to put partisan politics aside and come back to work on the people’s business.”