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CHICAGO, ILL. -- The following is a news release from the office of Illinois governor Pat Quinn:

Governor Pat Quinn today directed his Budget Office to issue an administrative order to cut the state budget by reducing the salaries of his staff, state managers and policymakers.

Administrative Order #1 requires the Governor’s staff and the state’s merit compensation employees – largely managers and policy staff – to take 24 unpaid days off.

Last year, Governor Quinn took 12 days without pay and required his staff and merit compensation employees to do the same.

This year, Governor Quinn and his staff will take 24 unpaid days off.

Governor Quinn urged members of the Illinois General Assembly and their staffs to take 24 unpaid days off.

He also called on the state’s union employees to take additional days off without pay.

“Today’s Administrative Order is the first directive under the Emergency Budget Act of Fiscal Year 2011 aimed at further cutting state spending,” said Governor Quinn.

“We must take continued actions to reduce state spending and strengthen the Illinois economy.”

Today’s Administrative Order #1 is an across-the-board salary reduction that will result in a 9.2 percent salary cut for the Governor’s staff and state managers and policymakers.

This plan will save the state approximately $18 million in fiscal year 2011.

“Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and I thank our hardworking state employees for their dedication in getting Illinois back on track,” said Governor Quinn.

“Today, I am calling on all state employees – not just managers and policymakers, but the Illinois General Assembly, their staffs and union members as well – to join us in taking the necessary steps to further cut the state budget.”

Governor Quinn also called American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) – the state’s largest collective bargaining unit – back to the bargaining table to negotiate additional unpaid days off in fiscal year 2011.

On July 1, Governor Quinn reduced the fiscal year 2011 budget by $1.4 billion, while preserving core services of education, health care and public safety. Governor Quinn has also reduced general funds’ appropriations by nearly $3 billion since taking office in January 2009.

The Governor’s Office’s budget has been reduced by more than 35 percent since January 2009, the largest cut to the office in state history.