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Governor Lingle said that she and her cabinet will be working late into the night and through the weekend to plan the next steps following Friday's court ruling on her furlough plan.
"Today's decision by Judge Sakamoto did not change the state's fiscal situation. We still face at least a $730 million shortfall that will likely grow larger when year-end tax collections are finalized next week. In addition, the shortfall could grow again when the Council on Revenues meets in September. While we have already cut $2 billion in spending, the fact is we simply cannot afford the government we have now.
"We will be working on two tracks throughout the weekend to close the budget shortfall. We will continue to negotiate labor contracts to achieve the savings we need to secure a balanced budget, as required by our constitution.
"We also will be continuing to identify additional savings from all state departments.
"I continue to believe that we must approach this unprecedented fiscal challenge with a sense of shared sacrifice in the short-term, while remaining focused on our long-term economic future." |