House OKs salary range expansion

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Mar 24, 2000 by Capital-Journal

The Capital-Journal

Legislation that would add one more step to the top of each pay range of the state employee pay plan was passed Thursday by the House 105-19.

The bill was returned to the Senate for its consideration of extensive changes made by the House. The measure, House Substitute for Senate Bill 40, originally dealt only with legislative retirement.

"I am delighted that such a large number of my legislative colleagues recognize the legitimate needs of state employees," Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, chief sponsor of the legislation, said after the vote. "The Department of Administration wanted to go further and drop the bottom three steps of the pay ranges, but I wasn't able to get that done."

Sloan had expected a significant number of votes against the bill because of strong opposition to it in the Kansas 2000 Committee, which handled the measure, and in the House Republican caucus.

The bill would add a 16th step to each of the 34 pay ranges of the state's pay matrix, enabling the approximately 2,570 state employees who are presently at the top step on their pay ranges to receive a step increase of about 2.5 percent.

The legislation also would repeal the "three-for-four law," which prohibits state agencies from filling more than three out of four position vacancies resulting from retirement. It also would expand the state's shared leave program to include the donation of vacation time, in addition to sick leave time.