State employee furlough plan clears Senate
The Washington Senate has approved a “furlough” bill that would require state agencies to cut employee costs by over $69 million through temporary layoffs and other actions over the coming months. The move would affect over 110,000 state government and higher education employees. The Senate vote was 27 to 17, with only Democrats in favor, despite the vehement opposition of the labor unions. House Speaker Frank Chopp spoke favorably of a furlough plan this week. The plan that passed the…