A Kansas Department of Corrections employee is no longer working for the agency after he mistakenly sent an email to a newspaper that advised downplaying the need for a special legislative session because of political considerations.

Jimmy Caprio, the department’s legislative liaison, sent the email to The Kansas City Star Friday after the newspaper asked about calls for a special session to discuss increasing pay for state prison guards.

He wrote that the special session could put the governor’s office in “a tight spot,” especially if current Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer takes office when Gov. Sam Brownback leaves for a diplomatic post.

Gov. Brownback’s spokeswoman, Melika Willoughby, said a statement later Friday that Caprio no longer worked for the state and emphasized that Caprio was not speaking for the administration.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com.