Gov. Susana Martinez's administration is stopping the furlough of several dozen civilian state workers for the National Guard by agreeing to cover their salaries this week while a federal government shutdown continues.
A spokesman for the National Guard said Monday that the 55 employees maintain guard facilities across the state and include staff responsible for computer security and construction management.
The state will pay about $53,500 to maintain the workers on the payroll this week by covering the federal share of their salaries. They otherwise would have been furloughed starting Monday.
If the partial federal shutdown continues, the governor's office said New Mexico will consider whether to keep the civilian workers in their jobs.
Martinez said in a statement the civilian workers were critical for supporting National Guard operations.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.