Tagged: state government

A total of 173 state employees have been laid off in the first two months of the fiscal year that started July 1.

Lindsay Ruiz de Chavez, with the state Department of Civil Service, tells The Times-Picayune that the latest figures show that from July 1, 2008, to Aug. 31 of this year, 2,373 jobs have been abolished.

In the first two months of the present fiscal year, 448 job positions have been abolished, including positions that were vacant.

The Louisiana attorney general's office says a Jindal administration plan to hire a private company to manage a state employee health insurance plan requires legislative approval.

In a legal opinion issued Friday, Assistant Attorney General Michael Vallan said the proposed contract between the Office of Group Benefits and Blue Cross/Blue Shield "is subject to review and final approval" by the legislative committees that have jurisdiction over similar matters.