Maybe this is why..

From: SPD Communications
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 1:11 PM
Subject: E-mail from Governor

June 30, 2009

Dear Co-Worker:

Click link below to continue reading

I apologize that I am only just now communicating with you, but I have
held off at the request of state legislators who are working to reach
a budget compromise before the fiscal year ends tonight. When midday
arrived with still no formal agreement, I informed the General
Assembly that in fairness to state employees I could not wait any
longer. So, it is with great regret, I write to inform you of the
unfortunate possibility that as of midnight, our state government will
be forced to shut down and suspend many of its operations.

I have done everything in my power to avoid this outcome. When the
legislature failed to pass a budget in April, I called them back into
session a week earlier than expected, to give them extra time to reach
an agreement. I revised my original January budget proposal to
incorporate numerous compromises, including the use of a significant
portion of our state reserve funds. Some observers felt that I had
gone too far: the Indy Star, on June 7th, even described our
concessions as potentially “foolhardy.” The Senate subsequently
produced a budget that made even greater compromises, which again, in
hopes of a reasonable solution, I agreed to support. Additional
concessions were made late yesterday in a final attempt at compromise
and early reports suggest that perhaps these last changes have
resulted in a deal although no vote has been taken and no budget has
yet passed. At my request the Senate also passed a stop-gap measure
to keep government open even if a budget still did not pass in time.

Please note I have a greater sense of optimism today that the members
of the Indiana General Assembly have agreed to a budget and will vote
to pass it before the deadline of midnight tonight than I did
yesterday. However, in the event that a budget is not passed by
midnight tonight, it is my responsibility to notify you of the
potential interruption of all state government activities except those
of a public safety, life and death nature. Attached is a memo,
detailing the particulars of the shutdown process as a precautionary
measure in the event the General Assembly fails to pass a budget.

Though the potential for closure remains a possibility, I still hope
for another conclusion. Over the next 12 hours I will join you in
watching the General Assembly as they consider and hopefully pass a
responsible, 2-year state budget which I can sign. You are
delivering the finest state government service Indiana has ever seen
and I thank you sincerely for it.
Sincerely,

…………….

TO: Employees of the Executive Branch of
Indiana State Government
FROM: Daniel L. Hacker, Director, State Personnel Department
RE: Furlough
DATE: June 30, 2009

As Governor Daniels stated in his e-mail, if the General Assembly
fails to enact a budget by midnight, most of state government will
have to be shut down. Without a budget, the state does not have
authorization to spend funds for wages and services. Employees, other
than those engaged in emergency operations, will be on furlough. A
furlough is an unpaid leave of absence.

Please monitor the news reports tonight and tomorrow morning. Also, an
update will be posted on www.in.gov. If a budget has not passed, you
should not report to work unless you have received specific
instructions to report from your appointing authority.

During a furlough, employees are not paid. There is no option to use
vacation, personal or sick leave during the furlough. Employees are
not permitted to volunteer their time. The ID/access cards of all
nonessential employees will be temporarily deactivated during the
furlough.

If a budget has not passed by the time you leave work today, please
make the following changes to your voicemail and e-mail to notify the
public in the event of a shutdown:

Voicemail – “Thank you for calling (agency). You have reached
(Person’s office). Indiana state government offices are currently
closed and will remain closed for an indefinite period of time due to
the failure of The Indiana General Assembly to pass a budget by June
30. I will be out of the office until a budget is passed.”
E-mail – Turn on the out of office assistant and insert this text:
“Indiana state government is closed indefinitely because the Indiana
General Assembly failed to pass a budget by June 30. I am out of the
office and will not be responding to e-mail while this shutdown is in
effect. I will return when a budget is passed.”

If a budget passes and there is no shutdown, please change back to
current message immediately Wednesday morning.

Once an appropriations bill passes the General Assembly, we will
resume regular operations, and you will be expected to report for your
next scheduled shift. It is important that you monitor the news
reports and keep informed throughout this period. An update will also
be posted on www.in.gov when a budget is approved.

There should be no lapse in your health, vision, dental or life
insurance coverage.

It is our hope that the legislature will resolve the funding issue
prior to the deadline so that state government can continue to provide
services to Hoosiers without interruption.

If you find this article informative? Consider donating any amount you choose.

No related posts.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 3:40 pm and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.