TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner made the following statement today following the Governor’s signature of S-2044, which implements the early retirement incentive program for FY09.
“I had a few simple goals this year when it came to the State Budget – to end our reliance on non-recurring revenues, to minimize cuts to programs that serve our most vulnerable residents, and to avoid new taxes. In order to achieve these goals, it was critical that we reduced the size of State government.
“The early retirement program will allow us to reduce the State government workforce without having to rely on layoffs.
“At the same time, the guarantee that no more than 10% of the jobs eliminated through early retirement will be refilled will mean that the State will see real long-term savings unlike previous early retirement deals.”