By SARAH KESSINGER
Harris News Service
TOPEKA -- A yearlong, bipartisan effort is about to conclude with a new pay plan for state employees whose wages, in some cases, have fallen far behind the marketplace average.
"It was laborious and full of compromises and the result was good for Kansas," said Rep. Charlie Roth, R-Salina, who served on the legislative committee that wrote the bill with the new plan. "I think the employees will be happy and the state will be happy with the employees."
The final result -- legislation passed this year by the House and Senate overwhelmingly -- will be signed into law by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at a Friday morning press conference on the Statehouse steps.
"This empowers employees who we feel were neglected for years," said Rep. Pat George, R-Dodge City, co-chairman of the State Employee Pay Plan Commission that met and crafted the plan over this past year.
"They'll have more control over their destiny and opportunities for advancement that they'll play a role in," George said.
The $82 million plan aims to bring all of the 7,700 state employees' pay up to market level during the next five years. It guarantees a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise for employees, as well. That was included at a cost of $55 million to prevent employees from falling further behind today's market levels.
The Legislature budgeted $16 million as the first part of the phased-in pay plan, starting with the 2009 budget year.
The commission also recommended $15 million for longevity pay for those hired by the state before July 1 of this year.
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