State officials: 955 workers furloughed over shutdown

Arkansas budget officials say state furloughs imposed because of the partial shutdown of the federal government has turned out to be not as deep as expected — so far.

Richard Weiss of the Department of Finance and Administration said Tuesday that 955 workers were furloughed, according to figures from each agency. The Military Department lost 564 people while the Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute lost one.

Federal money helps pay for some state jobs. Gov. Mike Beebe warned on Monday that up to 2,000 state employees might be furloughed. Weiss said that if the shutdown continues, the number of furloughed workers may rise.

The Health Department said it had 12 furloughs, while the initial expectation was that 300 people could have been impacted. The Department of Human Services reported 202 furloughs.

Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full coverage of the government shutdown.

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