Lawmakers look to cut workers' unused vacations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Rank-and-file state workers who haven’t received a pay raise in the past half dozen years may now see some perks reduced to help pare what some lawmakers say is a worrisome liability.

State officials want to decrease the amount of vacation and sick time employees can accrue from one year to the next, saying the amount of money that would be owed these workers if they left state employment is a serious liability on the budget. The state owes about $677 million in deferred vacation and sick pay, down from about $691 million a year ago — money that will be paid out over many years as employees quit or retire.