Gov. Gregoire signs state 10-day furlough bill

By The Associated Press Published: Apr 27, 2010 at 10:03 PM PDT
Gov. Gregoire signs state 10-day furlough bill
Gov. Chris Gregoire. File photo.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed a state employee furlough bill into law.

The measure signed Tuesday calls for many state employees to take 10 unpaid days off work over the next year. Agencies have the option of coming up with their own plans to save the same amount of money.

Only 25 percent to 30 percent of employees are affected by furloughs, after accounting for a long list of exemptions.

Gregoire vetoed a section calling for an additional $10 million in cuts from management. Gregoire says those workers are already subject to furloughs, and the extra cut wouldn't be practical across such a small group.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reports that Gregoire would like to make the furloughs more orderly, shutting agencies on the same day if possible.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.