Jul 22, 2009 7:47 am US/Eastern
O'Malley Outlines Plan To Reduce Budget Shortfall
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Maryland's governor needs to chop up the state budget.
It's the kind of treasure hunt that comes with consequences. Governor O'Malley must find a way to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars and that could mean furloughs or layoffs. Mike Schuh spoke with state workers concerned about their jobs.
To close a $700 million deficit, the governor is starting to cut the budget, worrying state workers if their department is next.
"I guess it doesn't look good. It will lay on us again. Everything falls on us for the deductions," one worker said.
"I'm an administrative assistant so it's kind of scary to think what if and I could be out of a job really soon," said Lucy Mazzullo.
"I thought it was done with. They need to ask the ones with the money to cut back a little bit, that's what I say," said Jody Curry.
The first round for fiscal year 2010 is $280 million, including $75 million slashed from Medicaid, $34 million from state health care and getting rid of 39 filled and 18 vacant positions.
More cuts will be announced by Labor Day.
"There's progress that we'd like to be making at a faster rate than we're going to be able to in the year ahead and it's because we have to balance this budget, we have to maintain fiscal responsibility," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
The governor has made it clear that any of the lines in Maryland's $33 billion budget could face cuts, except for education.
"Which is really the foundation of our economy, right? The skills, the talents, the education of Maryland's workforce," he said.
With the majority of funds going to education, public safety and health, workers assume furloughs are in the future.
"You gotta do what you gotta do. You can't change nothing," said Craig Stevens.
"I don't like them either but I don't dislike them as much as having to lay people off," O'Malley said.
The Board of Public Works will approve the $280 million cuts Wednesday.
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