A bill aimed at reducing monetary waste and aiding state employees was introduced and sent to an Assembly committee Thursday.
The bill, dubbed the “Smart Furlough Bill,” is designed to modify the state’s current blanket furlough policy. The current system, which was introduced by Gov. Jim Doyle via executive order, requires most state employees to take 16 days of unpaid furlough over between now and July 2011, one of the many cuts initiated to balance the state’s historic budget deficit.
Whatever its intent, however, Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, said the furlough order has actually cost the state money in key areas. The furloughs currently apply to virtually all of the state’s 60,000 employees, including some who receive funding from outside the state and some who actually generate revenue.
Roys said she hopes to correct this problem with the implementation of her Smart Furlough Bill. Under the bill, state workers would only be furloughed on days when their absence would result in direct net savings to the state.
“The goal of this bill is to maximize taxpayer savings from the furloughs,” Roys said. “The furloughs that the governor implemented actually cost the state money.”
Most of the state’s furloughs will remain intact, she added, but “a few exceptional cases” will be exempted. For example, the bill will not require workers to take furloughs if overtime workers are necessary to replace them, as this would cost the state more money than it would save.
The bill also exempts employees not paid by the state government, like researchers funded by federal grants. Also, positions that generate income for the state, like tax auditors, will have the right to petition the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance for exemption from the furlough.
State agencies will not be allowed to contract work that would have been performed by state employees on furlough days, she added.
Since the University of Wisconsin’s faculty and staff are state employees, Roys also said the bill is likely to widely affect UW. This is especially true in regards to UW researchers receiving federal grants who will be explicitly excluded from the blanket furlough by her bill.
According to Roys, the measure has received bipartisan co-sponsorship from six senators and 23 Assembly members.
However, Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, a member of the JFC, does not think the furlough reform bill would be fair to all Wisconsinites.
“I support Gov. Doyle in that all of us should help save money,” Vos said. “We shouldn’t pick and choose.”
Roys is still optimistic the bill will be passed into law early next year, hopefully during the next floor period in January.
“I am gratified that so many policymakers are eager to improve the furloughs,” Roys said. “Together, we will save taxpayer dollars, protect needed services, and bring common sense to this policy.”
The American Federation of State, County, Municipal and State Employees Council 24, which represents Wisconsin’s government workers, could not be reached for comment as of press time.
–Alicia Yager contributed to this report.
