Kansas’ government has been expanding unchecked, creating a heavier taxpayer burden. In 2024, government employment grew by 5,100 jobs, accounting for 28% of all new jobs, while the private sector added only 13,300. In December, 700 new government jobs were created, outpacing the 500 added in the private sector.
This trend highlights an urgent need for fiscal responsibility. Senate Bill 99 is a targeted reform that automatically eliminates vacant state government positions unfilled for 180 days, lapses the funds tied to these positions, and prevents unnecessary bureaucratic expansion.
What SB 99 Does
Under SB 99, state agencies must identify and certify all full-time positions funded by the state general fund that have been vacant for more than 180 days as of June 30, 2025. The Secretary of Administration will permanently eliminate these positions on July 1, 2025.
This means:
- State agencies must justify employment needs annually, preventing automatic rehiring and eliminating waste.
- Funds tied to these abolished positions will be returned to the state general fund, ensuring taxpayer dollars are not wasted on unnecessary salaries.
- These eliminated positions will be deleted from all future budget reports, preventing agencies from inflating their staffing needs or preserving unused positions for future expansion.
Reducing Waste Without Cutting Services
Kansas already has performance-based budgeting laws, but to say they’re ignored is to be generous to the idea of ignorance. Since its inception, PBB has been deliberately avoided by the executive branch agencies and all but purposefully forgotten by the legislature. SB 99 forces agencies to evaluate whether positions are truly needed rather than automatically refilling them. If a job remains vacant for over six months, it’s clear the agency can function without it. This bill ensures that tax dollars fund essential services—not bureaucratic bloat.
Beyond SB 99, Kansas lawmakers should:
- Conduct independent efficiency audits to find redundant roles and outdated programs.
- Use zero-based budgeting to require agencies to justify every dollar spent.
- Cap government spending growth to prevent unchecked budget expansions.
Aligning Government Growth With Taxpayer Needs
Unchecked government hiring leads to higher spending, bigger budgets, and more taxes. SB 99 is a simple, effective reform that cuts waste without cutting essential services. By automatically eliminating long-vacant positions and redirecting funds back to taxpayers, this bill forces the government to operate more efficiently, just like the private sector.
Kansas lawmakers should eliminate unfilled positions and go further to pair them with spending controls, efficiency audits, and better budgeting to create a leaner, more accountable government that delivers better results at a lower cost.
