LANSING - Senator Glenn S. Anderson today announced that he is giving back six days of pay to match the six unpaid furlough days that state employees are being required to take between now and September 30, 2009. He has directed that these funds go to the state’s General Fund to help reduce Michigan’s $1.3 billion budget deficit.

“We can’t ask our citizens or our employees to make sacrifices without following suit,” said Sen. Anderson. “There are many difficult cuts to be made and while we are doing everything possible to assist our families and workers, it’s important that the Legislature shares in the sacrifices that our citizens are already being forced to endure.”

Senator Anderson has taken numerous steps as a member of the Senate to cut government spending from within. Earlier this year, he voted to cut legislators’ salaries by 10%. He is one of only eight Senators that would be affected by this change in 2011. He also voted to pass a negative supplemental budget bill that includes a 4% General Fund reduction for the judicial and legislative branches, including cutting nearly $1 million from the Senate budget. The bill includes a $500,000 reduction in the Legislative Auditor General budget, and will save the state a total of $6,873,400, much needed savings as the state works to reconcile a significant budget deficit.

In additional efforts to cut spending and increase transparency, Anderson has also strongly supported Senate Resolution 15, which would mandate that all Senate caucus and member offices, regardless of party, should have the same overall compensation and expense levels. It directs that these savings are to be used to prevent the layoff of state troopers in the 2010 budget. Currently, individual Majority office budgets are almost $100,000 more than those of Senate Minority offices. The resolution would take the almost $3 million that the Senate Majority currently has in excess of the Minority and put it in the General Fund.

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