LIVE COVERAGE of the speech and the Democratic response begins tonight at 7:00 on IPR News Radio.
Gov. Rick Snyder will announce during his State of the State address tonight that two of the state’s largest departments will merge. Snyder will issue an executive order combining the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Community Health (DCH).
The move was first reported by the Associated Press.
Public employee unions worry the reorganization could lead to outsourcing.
“Regardless of however the governor arranges the state departments, they need to be appropriately staffed. State employees have been doing more with less for a long time,” said Ray Holman with UAW Local 6000 in Lansing.
“When you talk about merging two departments, of course, outsourcing becomes a real concern. Is this a ploy to make it easier to outsource complex, important state jobs?”
Holman says DHS is already “drastically understaffed,” and he’s concerned that move will mean less rather than more workers in the department.
The governor says the new Department of Health and Human Services will decrease dependency on government programs by focusing on getting people out of poverty.
Snyder will give his State of the State address in front of a joint session of the Legislature tonight at 7 PM.