Stamas Calls for Non-Essential State Worker Layoffs

State Senator Jim Stamas is calling for layoffs of non-essential state employees due to the budget impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stamas says he’s worried about Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order, which has been extended to April 30 with the approval of the state legislature. He calls the order excessively restrictive.

According to the Michigan Department of Treasury, the impact on this fiscal year budget is estimated at $1-3 billion, plus another $1-4 billion in next year’s budget.

Stamas says the legislature needs to consider all options to adjust spending, including the layoffs, even those in the legislature. He says the longer the state waits to act, the deeper the cuts will need to be.

Stamas recommends those non-essential employees be used to help file unemployment claims instead of hiring new workers for those positions.