COLUMBIA - Members of the House plan to take a three-day furlough this month to help save money during the state's budget crisis.

House members are taking a furlough April 15-17, House Speaker David Wilkins said Thursday.

The House should save about $42,000 in mileage and per diem costs that usually are paid to lawmakers, Wilkins said.

The state faces a shortfall of as much as $1 billion in the $5 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The House, like other state agencies, has endured midyear budget cuts and trimmed its operating costs in the upcoming budget by 9.8 percent.

At the beginning of the session, Wilkins asked House members to refrain from hiring pages or legislative aides if they had not done so. The House has continued a hiring freeze and has banned allowances for out-of-town trips, Wilkins said.

The House has made other minor cutbacks, such as ending subscriptions to publications and reducing faxes and photocopies.

"It's just the common-sense, frugal things that you do when you're trying to save money," Wilkins said.

No House staff members will be affected by the furloughs and Wilkins said he is "committed and determined" to avoid laying off any employees.

The House already is down about 12 state employees, from a total of about 85, Wilkins said.

"We have wonderful employees in the House and we value them, and we're going to make sure that we don't have to terminate anyone," Wilkins said. "At the same time, we're going to be very careful on the taxpayers' dollars and spend it very cautiously and save every dime we can."