A letter was sent out to 48,000 State of Michigan employees on Monday by department directors, warning them of a potential shut down as the Michigan legislature and governor battle over a budget.
October 1st is the state’s first day of it’s new fiscal year. If a deal isn’t reached by then, roughly two-thirds of the state’s employees would be temporarily laid off.
In the letter, it said that decisions are being finalized about who will report to work during the shutdown, and if you are not one of those people, the temporary layoff will begin at 12:01 a.m.
Read the entire letter below.
"September 23, 2019
Dear Colleagues:
It is now just one week until the end of the fiscal year and a budget for the new fiscal year beginning October 1 is not in place. We are still waiting for the Legislature to complete all the budgets and send them to the Governor. Therefore, planning and preparation for a potential state government shutdown must continue.
Decisions are being finalized now regarding who will be mandated to report to work during a shutdown. Unless you are informed that you need to report, your temporary layoff will begin at 12:01 AM on October 1 if a budget has not been enacted by that time. Your October 3 paycheck will not be impacted if there is a shutdown.
Travel during a shutdown is prohibited. Employees who are scheduled to travel for upcoming conferences, training, or other offsite work functions should cancel those plans if the event extends into October. If an employee is at a conference before October 1, it is necessary to complete any travel and be out of travel status before the potential shutdown. Employees cannot travel for work during a state government shutdown unless their functions have been deemed critical to protecting the health and safety of Michigan residents. The source of funding or whether travel expenses are not being charged to the state does not matter.
Please remember that you are not to report to work if you are in a temporary layoff status. You will not be able to gain access to your work location during a temporary layoff and you should not work from home. You will continue to have insurance coverage whether mandated to work or in temporary layoff status during a shutdown.
If a shutdown occurs and you are temporarily laid off, you will be responsible for monitoring when you are to return to work through a variety of channels, including media outlets, e-mail and Michigan.gov.
Hopefully you found the FAQ document I shared last week helpful. If there are questions you have that are not yet answered, please contact the Human Resources office.
I will be sure to communicate as new information becomes available. Governor Whitmer remains committed to doing everything possible to avoid a shutdown. We all understand that this uncertainty is difficult and your continued commitment to your job and the people of Michigan is recognized and appreciated."
