LANSING – State Representative Gary McDowell (D-Rudyard) has joined nine other State Representatives to voluntarily return a portion of his salary that is equal to the pay that state workers are sacrificing by taking six furlough days this year.
"Our hard-working men and women are struggling all across Michigan in these tough economic times," McDowell said. "Legislators should tighten their belts just as families across Michigan are doing in their own households."
In a commitment to cut state spending and reform Michigan's government, McDowell voted earlier this year to cut the salaries of lawmakers and other elected officials – including his own – by 10 percent.
Approximately 37,400 state employees have been affected by the furlough days. Michigan State Police road patrols, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, Unemployment Insurance Agency call centers and emergency human services programs haven't been affected by the unpaid days off. Michigan expects to save nearly $22 million as a result of the furloughs.
"If we are asking our workers to take unpaid days off, state officials should be held to the same standard," McDowell said. "If we want our residents to have faith in their government, we need to lead by example."