As of a month ago, if you work for the state of Idaho and become seriously ill - enough that you're placed on disability status - the state would keep your job open for you for six months. As of August 24, by order of the state Division of Human Resources (which reports to Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter) that amount of time is cut roughly in half, to 12 weeks.
The point here isn't where along a time line that disability period should run. It's to draw attention to two quotes, from a Spokane Spokesman-Review article, about the policy, and what its most important effects may be.
The chair of the state Senate committee that deals with state employees, Senator John Andreason, R-Boise: "I have people calling me telling me how difficult it is holding onto their highly qualified employees now. With this kind of a change it’s going to become more difficult.â€
From Alex Neiwirth, of the Idaho Association of Government Employees Local 687: “Who wants to be the person that tells someone, ‘OK, well, good luck, I hope your cancer treatment goes well, but your job’s not going to be here if it takes you more than three months’?â€
Neither perspective invalid, but representing quite a difference in the way you look at things.