BATON ROUGE, La. – Gov. Bobby Jindal has issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon stating that there will be a limited hiring freeze for the state's executive branch positions.
According to the statement, the order will remain in effect throughout the 2013 fiscal budget year which ends June 30, 2013 to save at least $13 million in the state's general fund.
Veteran Affairs, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the Department of Education and Health and Hospitals are among the departments affected by the hiring freeze.
Read the complete order below:
NOW THEREFORE, I, BOBBY JINDAL, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:
SECTION 1: No vacancy in an existing or new position of employment within the executive branch of state government that exists on or occurs after the effective date of this order shall be filled which would in any manner, decrease, or in the case of Non-T.O. FTEs increase, the number of such frozen positions within the department, budget unit, agency, and/or office, within the executive branch of state government below the number frozen determined as provided in Paragraph B of this section. This includes Appropriated Table of Organization Full-Time Equivalent positions (T.O. FTEs), Other Compensation positions (Non-T.O. FTEs), Other Charges positions (Non-T.O. FTEs), job appointments (Non-T.O. FTEs), and restricted appointments (Non-T.O. FTEs).
A. The following departments, agencies, and/or budget units of the executive branch of the State of Louisiana (hereafter "Unit and/or "Units"), as described in and/or funded by appropriations through Acts 13 and 43 of the 2012 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature (hereafter "Acts"), shall be subject to the hiring freeze as provided in this Executive Order:
Executive Branch
Schedule 01 — Executive
Schedule 03 — Veterans Affairs
Schedule 05 — Economic Development
Schedule 06 — Culture, Recreation and Tourism
Schedule 07 — Transportation and Development
Schedule 08 — Corrections Services
Schedule 08 — Public Safety Services
Schedule 08 — Youth Services
Schedule 09 — Health and Hospitals
Schedule 10 — Children and Family Services
Schedule 11 — Natural Resources
Schedule 12 — Revenue
Schedule 13 — Environmental Quality
Schedule 14 — Louisiana Workforce Commission
Schedule 16 — Wildlife and Fisheries
Schedule 17 — Civil Service
17-560 — State Civil Service
17-561 — Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service
17-562 — Ethics Administration
17-563 — State Police Commission
17-564 — Administrative Law
Schedule 19 — Higher Education
Schedule 19 — Special Schools and Commissions
19B-653 — Louisiana Schools for the Deaf and Visually Impaired
19B-655 — Louisiana Special Education Center
19B-657 — Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts
19B-662 — Louisiana Educational TV Authority
19B-666 — Board of Elementary & Secondary Education
19B-673 — New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts
Schedule 19 — Department of Education
Schedule 19 — LSU Health Sciences Center Health Care Services Division
Schedule 21 — Ancillary
21-790 — Donald J. Thibodaux Training Academy
21-796 — Central Regional Laundry
21-800 — Group Benefits
21-804 — Risk Management
21-805 — Administrative Services
21-806 — Louisiana Property Assistance
21-807 — Federal Property Assistance
21-808 — Telecommunications Management
21-810 — Public Safety Services Cafeteria
21-811 — Prison Enterprises
21-829 — Aircraft Services
B. The Commissioner of Administration is hereby authorized to and shall establish, on a continuing basis, the number of FTEs, hereafter referred to as "positions", to be frozen for each such department, agency, and/or budget unit specified in Paragraph A of this Section together with the expenditure of funds appropriated for such positions.
C. After the effective date of this Order, employee transfers, promotions, reallocations, and the creation of any new positions of employment within the executive branch of state government shall not, in any manner, decrease, or in the case of Non-T.O. FTEs increase, the number of such frozen positions within the department, budget unit, agency, and/or office, within the executive branch of state government below the number frozen determined as provided in this Section unless otherwise adjusted by the Commissioner of Administration.
SECTION 2: To implement the freeze provided in Section 1, the Commissioner of Administration shall set a date upon which the head of each Unit listed in Section 1 of this Order shall submit to the Commissioner of Administration a mid-year budget adjustment plan, on the BA-7 form and questionnaire, which reflects the Unit's proposed allocation of the position freeze ordered in Section 1 of this Order, and a rationale or explanation of the mid-year budget adjustment plan.
A. The allocation of the position freeze shall be implemented by the Unit only upon the Commissioner's prior written approval of the Unit's mid-year budget adjustment plan.
B. Once approved, a mid-year budget adjustment plan may not be changed without the Commissioner's prior written approval.
SECTION 3: The Commissioner of Administration may develop guidelines pertaining to requests for adjustments from all or part of the prohibition set forth in Section 1 of this Order, and if necessary, develop definitions for the terms and/or the descriptions used in this Order.
SECTION 4: All departments, budget units, agencies, offices, entities, and officers of the State of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof, are authorized and directed to cooperate in the implementation of the provisions of this Order.
SECTION 5: The Governor, in accordance with R.S. 42:375(D) may order the Commissioner of Administration to withhold allotments in the appropriate category of expenditures from which the salary or compensation of any employee employed in violation of this executive order is paid in an amount equal to such compensation.
SECTION 6: The Order is effective July 1, 2012 and shall remain in effect through June 30, 2013 or until amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the Governor, or terminated by operation of law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge, on this 11th day of July, 2012.
_/s/ Bobby Jindal_____________
GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA
