Posted on: Wednesday, April 10, 2002

EDITORIAL
Unused vacation can be taken, not cashed out

While the amounts are not particularly huge, they still represent yet another headache as lawmakers struggle to balance the state's budget this year:

Gov. Cayetano asked the Legislature to budget some $2.2 million to cash out unused vacation pay for 151 political appointees expected to leave state service when he does at the end of the year.

Lawmakers are balking, saying individual departments will have to find the money for unused vacation pay. That still represents a cost.

Why don't they just insist that the governor require his people to take the vacation they earned and deserve ? Perhaps not every employee will be able to use up every day of vacation, but surely a tougher vacation policy could take a big bite out of the tab.

No doubt these people work hard. But they deserve some time off, and the taxpayers may have in mind a better use for the dollars than a lump-sum vacation payment.