National mourning comes with a price tag

Providing security for former President Reagan's funeral is likely to cost government agencies several million dollars, but a far bigger expense is the loss of a day's labor by most of the federal government's 1.8 million employees.

Under an executive order signed by President Bush, all federal workers except those needed to provide law enforcement, national security and other essential services were taking Friday off as part of a national day of mourning.

The Office of Personnel Management says that a day's payroll expense for the entire federal work force is $423 million.

The practice of allowing federal employees to participate in a national day of mourning began on Nov. 25, 1963, three days after the assassination of President Kennedy, said Mike Orenstein, spokesman for the federal personnel office. It was repeated following the deaths of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969, Harry S. Truman in 1972, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973 and Richard M. Nixon in 1994.

Some states will also incur costs.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said state offices will be closed in California, New York, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Texas, Connecticut, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Delaware, New Mexico and Wyoming.

The direct costs of this week's events appear relatively small in comparison.

Municipal and federal agencies involved in this week's events said they expected costs to total less than $10 million, although they would not have solid figures for several days.

House Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said he expected federal agencies to spend as much as $1.5 million to provide security and transportation services during the three days of observances.

The Ronald Reagan Memorial Foundation is expected to reimburse much of the cost, he said, and it appears government agencies will be able to cover the rest by shuffling funds already appropriated by Congress.