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State employees are on pins and needles across the state. Tight budgeting has potential pay raises in limbo. Governor Charlie Crist has proposed a 2 percent pay hike, but some lawmakers are balking. State Senator Al Lawson, whose district includes Tallahassee, says a second year in a row without a raise would be sending the wrong message.

“It’s going to be a tough year but I think that we should give the state employees a raise, we gave them a bonus last year,” says Lawson. “It’s extremely important if you want to stimulate the economy, that we give them a pay raise. They’re hard workers. They’re the backbone of all of this that we’re doing here today and I think we need to show respectability by taking care of the workers.”

Florida ranks 49th in the number of employees per state resident.