The governor would be able to order no more than six furlough days per year, under legislation introduced this week in the State House.
Republican State Representative Paul Opsommer said furlough days should only be used in emergency situations - and not to patch holes in the budget like they did this year.
"Furlough days, to be honest with you, are a temporary measure to solve hopefully a temporary budget shortfall," said Opsommer. "Here in the State of Michigan, we have a structural problem, and furlough days simply do not address the structural problem we have."
Opsommer said that by limiting furlough days, it will force the governor and the legislature to address Michigan's structural deficit, instead of putting temporary stop-gaps in place.
The state was hoping to save $25 million through this year's furlough days.
But Opsommer says the real savings are probably much smaller, because some departments are using overtime to make up for time lost on furlough days.
Republican State Representative Paul Opsommer said furlough days should only be used in emergency situations - and not to patch holes in the budget like they did this year.
"Furlough days, to be honest with you, are a temporary measure to solve hopefully a temporary budget shortfall," said Opsommer. "Here in the State of Michigan, we have a structural problem, and furlough days simply do not address the structural problem we have."
Opsommer said that by limiting furlough days, it will force the governor and the legislature to address Michigan's structural deficit, instead of putting temporary stop-gaps in place.
The state was hoping to save $25 million through this year's furlough days.
But Opsommer says the real savings are probably much smaller, because some departments are using overtime to make up for time lost on furlough days.
