Lots of furloughs

At lots of state agencies, employees are being asked to take time off without pay to cope with a mid-year 4 percent budget holdback. Health & Welfare has an agency-wide three-day furlough, as does the Department of Juvenile Corrections, JFAC was told this morning. The Judicial Branch wasn’t required to impose the holdbacks, but agreed to anyway. There, court employees will see a two-day unpaid furlough. In addition, judges and justice are being asked to take a two-day voluntary salary holdback - and so far, 90 percent have committed to do so. Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, said, “I think it needs to be said in plain English … They’re going to work for nothing for two days, and I think that’s commendable and needs to be acknowledged.”