Kansas state workers to be told by noon of possible furlough

TOPEKA –  Nonessential state employees will be notified by noon Friday if they are to be furloughed as a deadlock in budget talks continues.

Kansas’ Republican-dominated Legislature has been sharply divided over measures to fill a budget shortfall initially projected at $800 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1. Stalled talks over tax increases and spending cuts to fill the gap has driven the lawmakers into overtime, and nonessential state workers will be furloughed at 12:01 a.m. Sunday if a budget is not signed by then, according to the Department of Administration’s website.

The furlough would not apply to public school employees or judicial branch workers because budgets for those agencies have already been signed into law.

Because state employees receive their salaries two pay periods after the pay is earned, furloughed workers would not lose pay until July 3, said Gwen Larson, a spokeswoman for Emporia State University.

Democratic Rep. Tom Sawyer from Wichita said of the possibility of a partial government shutdown, “it’s like some nightmare.”

The House approved a budget Wednesday that would shrink the projected deficit to about $406 million, which would need to be filled by tax increases. Unlike the federal government, states are required to pass budgets without deficits.

Senate leaders have said the chamber could consider an alternative proposal that would fully balance through a 5.9 percent across-the-board cut.

However, the Senate has not debated a comprehensive budget proposal since March, and 54 GOP House members called on the chamber Friday to take up a budget measure to prevent the possible furloughs.

“State workers who provide valuable services should not have to endure furloughs because the Senate stalled on taking up the budget,” House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, said in a statement.

The Senate met only briefly Friday morning and did not plan to meet again until at least mid-afternoon – after furlough notices were to go out. Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce said he doesn’t plan to schedule a debate on a proposed budget until work on a plan for raising taxes progresses.

“Without the tax plan, the budget’s unconstitutional and doesn’t accomplish what we need to for our state workers, which is stop the furloughs,” said Bruce, a Nickerson Republican.

Later, he said of House GOP leaders’ criticism of him, “I think they were just misinformed.”

But House GOP leaders said they’ve finished their work on the budget.

“Now is not the time to hide from the big issues,” said Majority Leader Jene Vickrey, a Louisburg Republican. “We need to get it done.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Kansas state workers to be told by noon of possible furlough."