Government offices in Rhode Island will be closed at least one day a month starting September 4.

Additional days are scheduled every month through June.
    
The shut down is part of Gov. Don Carcieri's plan to balance the state's budget. Rhode Island has been hit hard by rising unemployment and lower tax revenue.
    
Carcieri said shutting down the offices will trim millions of dollars in funding for local governments.

"There are going to be inconveniences for the public, and there are going to be sacrifices, as I said, for state employees," Carcieri said at a Statehouse news conference. "These steps right now are unavoidable if the state is to live within its budget, live within its means."
    
About 11,000 employees will be forced to take time off without pay.

Source: The Associated Press