Brief⁽¹⁾

S.B. 477 would amend K.S.A. 74-2614 and repeal K.S.A. 74-2614a, both of which were held to be unconstitutional in a 1989 Kansas Supreme Court ruling. The amendments would make it clear that the Director of the Kansas Water Office may appoint employees in the classified service and eliminate provisions which allow the Director to appoint and set salaries for employees in the unclassified service. The statute which would be repealed allowed all classified positions in the Kansas Water Office, except clerical and financial management positions, to be abolished in 1984.

Background

This bill was introduced at the request of a spokesperson from the Kansas Water Office.

At the hearing on the bill, the only conferee was a spokesperson from the Kansas Water Office. He explained that these two statutes had been declared by court ruling to be unconstitutional in 1989. The spokesperson noted that all positions in the Kansas Water Office are in the classified service except for the Director's position and that this bill clarifies the current practice of the agency.

The fiscal note indicates that the bill would have no fiscal impact.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.