The Louisiana Department of Finance and Administration said the most recent two-week state payroll is down $3.5 million from the final full pay period in 2007, and down $314,000 from the last payroll period before a statewide hiring freeze was ordered by Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Jindal enacted a limited hiring freeze by executive order on Jan. 15, his first full day in office.
The Office of State Uniform Payroll said gross wages for the state agencies whose payments they oversee were $87.9 million on Dec. 21, 2007, $84.7 million on Jan. 18, and $84.4 million on March 28.
“The payroll figures show that we are achieving the goals set by Gov. Jindal’s executive order to control government growth and save taxpayer dollars,” said Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis.
The payroll office said that as of April 1 it had received 5,679 requests by state agencies for exemptions for vacancies that existed at the start of the hiring freeze as well as all those for positions that became vacant since that time. The office denied 693 exemptions and approved 4,118.
