Brief(1)
The bill would amend the Employer-Employee Relations Act by repealing the provision that authorizes local units of government to vote to come under the Act. The effect of the bill would be to make the Act equally applicable to all state and local public employees.
Background
At the hearing before the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs and a subsequent subcommittee hearing, the bill was supported by representatives of the: Kansas State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, Service Employees International Union Local No. 513, Kansas Association of Public Employees, Kansas State Council of Firefighters, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #19, Kansas National Education Association, and a retired police officer. Opponents of the bill included representatives of: the Labette County Commission, Dodge City, Overland Park, the League of Kansas Municipalities, Olathe, and the Johnson County Commission.
The Department of Human Resources provided information to the subcommittee.
The fiscal note prepared by the Department of Human Resources on the bill when it was introduced in 1997 states that enactment of the bill would result in an additional $1.2 million expenditure from the State General Fund. That fiscal note points out that in 1995 the Department of Human Resources estimated that enactment of a similar bill would have resulted in expenditure of an additional $293,848 from the State General Fund. At the subcommittee of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee that reviewed the bill and accepted additional testimony, a representative of the Department indicated that the fiscal impact of the bill might be less than the original estimate.
The Division of the Budget's fiscal note also states that the bill could result in an indeterminable fiscal impact on local units of government.
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.