DE lawmakers balk at guv's proposed pay cuts
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
By: Bill Cook
bcook@whyy.org
Delaware lawmakers are on a two-week spring break but that hasn't stopped a group of House Republicans from presenting a budget plan of their own. Governor Markell has proposed an 8 percent pay cut for all state employees. The legislators have outlined an alternative to close the state's historic budget shortfall in a four-page letter they sent to the governor.
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The letter includes ideas on how to save the state tens of millions of dollars now and have an ever bigger payoff in the future.
It covers three contentious categories: gambling, cost-cutting and a proposed salary cut for state employees.
State Representative and House Minority Whip Dan Short.
Short: The 8 percent is a big number for folks in their daily lives. My 400 plus emails that i got in a weekend tell me it's important to them.
One part of the alternative plan would include offering state workers volunteer furlough days.