Bredesen plan: Lay off 717 employees, leave 656 jobs vacant

NASHVILLE — More than 700 current state employees would lose their jobs as part of $241 million in budget cuts proposed today by Gov. Phil Bredesen.

The Democratic governor’s proposal would eliminate 717 filled positions and another 656 vacant jobs.

Bredesen last year warned that up to 2,000 state workers could face layoffs, but later said those employees would be spared because of the influx of $4.5 billion in federal stimulus money.

But only a small portion of the federal money can be used to plug general budget holes, and the worse-than-expected economic performance this spring has caused layoffs to once again come into the picture.

Associated Press

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9014117

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Wonder why Tennessee is in so much better shape than California?