FROM THE FBI CJIS DIVISION

 

Though a partial government shutdown went into effect 12 a.m. Saturday, there has been minimal local consequences. Only agencies operating under annual budget appropriations have been affected and do not include the FBI CJIS Division, postal service or health-related agencies.

 

Holly Morris, FBI CJIS Division public affairs specialist, provided the following FBI-produced statement:

 

“FBI operations are directed towards national security and violations of federal law and must be able to continue during a lapse in appropriations. As such, all FBI agents and support personnel in field offices are considered excepted from furlough. At FBI headquarters, certain personnel will be designated as excepted from furlough to provide direction and investigative support to all field operations and select headquarters functions.”

 

Though the CJIS Division remains open because it provides security services, the postal service is unaffected by the shutdown because it does not operate with funding through the congressional appropriations process, but rather in income from postage and related sales.

 

Local health and human safety organizations – including the Harrison County Health Department and the Harrison County Bureau of Emergency Services – operate under county government, so they are not affected by the shutdown.

 

“But even with federal employees, if their job function is an ‘essential’ job function – just like health and human safety – those employees would still have to work,” said Laura Pysz, director of Harrison County emergency management. “

 

In that situation, employees would not draw a paycheck until the budget providing salary appropriations was passed, she said.

 

Other federal government services that remain unaffected include social security checks, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, veterans’ hospital services, passport services, airport security and air traffic control, as well as education.

 

Nearly 90 percent of the Department of Homeland Security’s 240,000 employees will be at work because they’re considered essential.

 

Editor’s Note: As always, anyone who has information or would like to provide a tip is encouraged to reach out to their local FBI field office or go to tips.fbi.gov, Morris said.