THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995              TAG: 9511100466
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                         LENGTH: Medium:   66 lines

PENTAGON READIES ITS OWN BATTLE PLANS FOR FEDERAL SHUTDOWN MILITARY PAYCHECKS DUE OUT WEDNESDAY WON'T BE AFFECTED BY THE CLOSINGS.

People in uniform will remain on the job - though some might have a bit less to do - if Congress and President Clinton can't resolve their budgetary disputes.

But thousands of civilian federal employees in Hampton Roads could find themselves on unpaid leave next week.

The Pentagon disclosed Thursday that its contingency plans for a federal shutdown call for temporary layoffs of 295,000 civilian workers nationwide. That's just over one-third of the Defense Department's civilian work force.

Other civilians employed by the Pentagon, along with servicemembers on active duty, would stay at work under provisions of a law that permits those judged vital to national security to be kept on even when the government runs short of funds to pay them.

Non-defense agencies generally would lay off more of their workers. At the Interior Department, for example, about 56,000 of 78,000 employees nationwide would be placed on furlough.

No regional breakdown of the possible layoffs was available Thursday. Almost 45,000 civilians are employed by the federal government in Hampton Roads. They represent about 7 percent of the region's non-farm work force, and their payrolls pump more than $100 million a month into the local economy.

The layoffs would begin on Tuesday if the Democratic president and Republican-controlled Congress are unable to resolve differences on a stopgap budget.

For military people, the largest segment of the federal work force in Hampton Roads, the budget battle should have no impact on paychecks they're due to collect on Wednesday. Susan Hansen, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said there's enough money available to pay everyone until then, even though the current continuing resolution expires on Monday.

The next federal paycheck would be due Nov. 30; Hansen indicated it's unclear whether the Pentagon would be able to make that payroll if Congress and Clinton are at odds.

Navy officials in Norfolk said if the worst does happen, sailors demonstrating hardships will be advised to go to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society for emergency, interest-free loans. The society will provide help on a scale based on how many children each servicemember must support.

Neither the Air Force nor Army in Hampton Roads has notified their personnel of any specific remedies if the pay day is missed, officials said.

They, too, have various relief societies, or ways to get funds to hardship cases, they said.

While the military will remain on duty, units might delay training or other operations judged non-essential until a budget is passed, Pentagon officials indicated.

Managers of several companies in Hampton Roads said they did not expect any disruption in their sales if a government shutdown does occur.

But Christine Chmura, senior economist at Richmond-based Crestar Bank, said a shutdown would come at an awkward time for area retailers because the peak shopping season of the year is approaching.

Just the prospect of a temporary shutdown probably could dampen consumer spending for the holidays, she said. MEMO: Staff writers Jack Dorsey and Tom Shean contributed to this story.

KEYWORDS: FEDERAL BUDGET LAYOFF by CNB