Mail will not be delivered Friday and federal offices will close in recognition of a National Day of Mourning honoring former President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday.
However, after reviewing state law, Gov. Kenny Guinn announced Tuesday that Nevada's state employees would not receive the day off.
Carson City offices will also continue business as usual.
Greg Bortolin, spokesman for the governor, said officials researched the historical precedent for calling a state holiday upon the death of a president, as well as the financial repercussions.
The last governor to issue a day off was Mike O'Callahan after the death of President Harry Truman on Dec. 26, 1972.
However, employees were not given a day off when former President Lyndon Johnson died on Jan. 22, 1973.
A state holiday was called in memory of President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963. Holidays were also observed upon the deaths of former presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.
In 1987, the Nevada Legislature usurped the power of the governor to call a state holiday, reserving that discretion for itself. When former President Richard Nixon died on April 23, 1994, state workers did not receive a day off.
Bortolin said it was also more cost effective to work. It would have cost the state more than $1 million in overtime pay if employees were given the day off.
"It's in the spirit of good government that President Reagan encouraged," he said.
The governor is expected to issue a proclamation in honor of President Reagan on Friday.
Contact Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or at 881-1272.
