State Workers Pay An Issue For Kansas Lawmakers

Kansas legislators are considering proposals to give state workers a modest pay increase but end their guaranteed longevity bonuses.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee touched on pay issues Tuesday as it reviewed budget issues facing lawmakers when they return to the Statehouse next week to wrap up their work for the year. The committee took no action.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback proposed a 1.5 percent pay raise for employees in the civil service. It would be the first across-the-board pay raise since 2009.

But the Senate committee and its House counterpart have alternative proposals for more modest pay raises that would end a requirement for state agencies to pay longevity bonuses.

The Kansas Organization for State Employees opposes ending longevity bonuses.