Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is proposing to revise hiring, layoff and termination policies for Kansas government workers and possibly eliminate longevity bonuses for 17,500 employees.

The state Department of Administration on Wednesday described the initiatives modernizing state policies.

One proposal that requires the Legislature’s approval would give state agencies broader authority to hire employees into non-civil service positions rather than keep those jobs in the civil service system.

Secretary of Administration Jim Clark said a new policy would emphasize performance rather than seniority in selecting employees to be presented with pink slips and when rehiring occurs.

He said lawmakers will be asked to fund annual longevity bonuses or cancel them, rather than forcing agencies to eat the costs from existing dollars.