Department of Labor and Regulation Presents Cuts

Air Date:02/09/2011

By Jackelyn Severin

The Department of Labor and Regulation says it will take a 12 percent cut in general fund dollars. Agency officials presented its budget to the Joint Appropriations committee. Secretary Pam Roberts says the department plans on reducing its budget through decreases in services and employees.  She says even though the department is mostly funded through federal money a few programs receive state dollars and will see a reduction in funding. Roberts says one of those programs is the Human Rights Division which will be cut by 82-thousand dollars.

Roberts says, "What we're doing here is eliminating a lot of the support of that program. We had some secretarial support helping that investigator. We had a lawyer on staff that some of his time was used to supplement and help that program. And again with our reductions part of our, this is our ten percent cut had to come out of a discretionary program and that's what the Human Rights program is in the Department of Labor."

Roberts says the Human Rights division investigates around 100 cases per year. She says a reduction in funding will result in slower investigations into human rights complaints.

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