Va. cutting nearly 600 state employees

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RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine said nearly 600 state employees will be laid off because of cuts made necessary by the economic recession.

Those Virginia employees who remain will have to take a day's furlough and a cut in the state-funded pension next year, the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday.

About half of the 593 layoffs -- 293 -- will come from closing corrections facilities in Brunswick and Botetourt counties and the Juvenile Correctional Center in Natural Bridge, the Times-Dispatch said.

Another 183 layoffs come from Health and Human Resources, including 70 administrative and 13 care positions at mental-health facilities, the newspaper said. Education jobs were spared.

The state is eliminating another 336 unfilled jobs in addition to the 593 layoffs.

The latest layoffs are expected to save $170 million. Other agency reductions and cost-saving measures are expected to help close an expected $1.35 billion budget shortfall for fiscal 2010, which began July 1, the newspaper said.

The Times-Union said it was the fourth time Kaine has had to make cuts to the two-year $77 billion state budget.