A Kansas House committee has approved a bill that would make Kansas state workers pay the salaries of their state-employed state workers through their state payroll records.
The bill approved Monday by a vote of 22-7, will be considered by the full House, where the bill has a slim chance of passing.
The House passed the bill Monday on a 24-0 vote, with Rep. Jimmie Jackson, R-Bartlesville, the lone Democrat voting against the bill.
Jackson said he is concerned about what he calls “an economic disaster” for state workers who would be forced to find other ways to pay their bills.
The proposal would make state workers’ wages available to employers through a state payroll database, known as an employment contract, which would require employees to sign it before they can be hired or fired.
State employees will be paid $0.10 per hour for overtime work and $0,01 per hour under a “temporary contract.”
It would also be required that employers provide state employees with a list of people who they can hire for work in the state and pay them a portion of the salary.
The state employee union, which represents state employees, is opposed to the bill and has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the bill from taking effect.
The Kansas House has been on a short legislative recess since May.
