Kansas lawmakers advance state budget to governor's desk
Spending plan includes modest 1% pay raise for state workers
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers have finalized a nearly $28 billion state budget that fully funds public schools but sets up a clash over employee compensation, sending the spending plan to Gov. Laura Kelly's desk for final approval.
The Republican-led Legislature agreed on a 1% across-the-board salary increase for about 35,000 executive branch and public university workers, falling short of the 2.5% increase recommended by Kelly, a Democrat. Senate budget committee chairman Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican, pushed for the flat 1% universal raise, while House budget committee chairman Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican, had argued for targeted investment in the state's most underpaid workers based on a 2025 market study. The final agreement reflected Billinger's approach, setting aside the market-based adjustments Waymaster had championed.
Kelly has strongly criticized the 1% raise as "table scraps" for essential employees who clear winter roads, mitigate wildfires and protect vulnerable children. She noted that rank-and-file lawmakers previously awarded themselves a 93% pay increase in 2024, on top of an automatic 4% adjustment this year.
The budget package, which includes about $10.9 billion from the state general fund, covers state spending for the fiscal year 2027, beginning July 1, 2026. While it meets the state's constitutional obligations for K-12 education, the plan leaves long-term fiscal questions unresolved as lawmakers continue to debate property tax reform proposals and navigate reduced federal assistance.
Kelly may sign the legislation, allow it to become law without her signature or use her line-item veto power to strike specific spending provisions before the Legislature returns to finish its annual session.
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