A second Nebraskan has offered to cut his own pay to help with state budget problems.

Mahammed H. Siddiq, an Arabic interpreter for courts across the state, hand-delivered a letter to State Auditor Mike Foley, saying he would take a 4 percent pay cut "to help alleviate the pain of the budget deficit."

Senators are meeting in a special session to deal with a $334 million shortfall.

Siddiq said he was responding to news stories about the budget problems, possible furloughs and layoffs and the plea of several state senators for highly paid state employees to take pay cuts.

"I felt I should start doing something. We do need to contribute if people are going to get laid off or furloughed," said Siddiq.

But Siddiq is not a highly paid employee.

He earns $1,000 to $2,000 a month, at $35 an hour, for his interpreting services. He said he felt he should contribute something "if fellow Nebraskans were in trouble."

Siddiq, born in Saudi Arabia, is a naturalized citizen who raised three children in the U.S. and is grateful for the opportunities and freedom he has in this country.

He earns a living as a court interpreter and as a freelance writer on Middle East issues for publications in Europe and Canada.

Earlier in the week the state's top paid employee, Dr. Vijay Dewan, a psychologist and clinical director for the Lincoln Regional Center, said he would take a $5,000 pay cut starting in January.

Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege suggested during budget debate this week if all state employees voluntarily took a 5 percent pay cut, the state could save $55 million over the next 19 months.

Carlson said a plan giving state workers the option of a pay cut would be better than furloughs, where workers take unpaid days off from work.

With furloughs, there would be a reduction in services and perhaps the perception that government is overstaffed.

The two men seeking pay cuts sent their message to Foley, whose Web site provides a list of state workers making more than $100,000.

But Foley is not the person who would handle these requests.

Siddiq's request would go through the Supreme Court, which runs the state court system; Dewan's request would go through the state personnel system.

Janice Walker, state court administrator, said she wasn't sure how the court would handle a request for a pay cut or even a donation. "That's a good question. It's never happened before," she said.

Since Siddiq's hourly rate is set by Supreme Court rules, the court would probably have to change the rules to allow a lower hourly rate, she said.

Right now the state court system leaders are trying to figure out how voluntary worker furloughs might be handled, as one way to meet budget cuts, she said

State personnel director Mike McCrory is researching the issue for state employees covered by the personnel system.

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.