Ohio may have to furlough some state employees amid government shutdown

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio may have to furlough some state employees amid the federal government shutdown, the Department of Administrative Services warned Friday.

The Ohio Adjutant General’s Department, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety were notified of the potential impacts.

The union contract requires agencies to make an announcement 14 days before funding could be interrupted and is informational only, according to the DAS.

Of the 9,000 employees who were notified on Friday, the DAS expects the number who may be subject to furlough to be less than half of that, adding that the passage of a continuing resolution within the next two weeks would negate the announcement.

“While we hope for a resolution from Washington soon, we must prepare for the potential impact on our workforce in the coming weeks should the shutdown continue,” DAS Director Kathleen C. Madden said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation daily and will have more specific information should further action become necessary.”

If any employees need to be furloughed, those employees would be individually notified, according to the DAS.