Governor Bill Walker issued a travel and hiring freeze for state workers Tuesday morning.
Gov. Walker: “The travel has to be associated with what you do. An example is the District Attorney’s office having a trial someplace, a witness needing to be moving, those kinds of things versus other travel that is more conference related. On the hiring, we have 600 fewer employees than we did a year ago, from October to October, most of those were through attrition, people who were retiring anyways, we just didn’t back fill. So that was sort of the first wave, and this is the second wave we’re basically saying we’re putting restrictions on bringing in new folks, filling positions that are vacant.”
The hiring freeze does not apply to jobs essential to Alaskans’ life, health, or safety, or fund generating positions where failure to hire would result in a reduction of ability to collect state revenue.
The restrictions only apply to the executive branch. The Legislature and court system are separate branches of government.
Travel for state employees must be approved by the commissioner of that department.
State board or commission members are asked to limit travel to one meeting per year and to use video or tele conferencing as much as possible.
Walker says he does not have an exact amount of how much money these freezes may save the state.
The governor’s administration also requested the State’s quasi-independent organizations to adopt similar travel and hiring restriction policies, including:
- Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
- Alaska Energy Authority
- Alaska Gasline Development Corporation
- Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
- Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority
- Alaska Mental Health Trust
- Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
- Alaska Public Offices Commission
- Alaska Railroad Corporation
- Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
- Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
- Permanent Fund Corporation
- Regulatory Commission of Alaska
- University of Alaska