Tax & Spending

2019 state payroll: $2.17 billion, up 5%0
- Tax & Spending
- May 19, 2020
State agencies and universities spent $2.17 billion on payroll during the 2019 calendar year, including $34.9 million on overtime. Total pay increased by 5% and overtime jumped 15%. Total pay and overtime for every state employee are available on KansasOpenGov.org. KU Athletic Director Jeff Long tops the list of the 20 highest-paid employees, at a
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Will Kansas unemployment benefits stall re-opening?0
- Tax & Spending
- May 15, 2020
Kansas lockdown and social distancing rules to combat COVID-19 have led to massive unemployment. With claims for unemployment benefits hitting record levels, the state’s real unemployment rate is likely well above 10%. Governor Kelly must change unemployment benefits policy to encourage work. Otherwise, the full Kansas economic recovery from COVID-19 may not start until well
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Will Kansas legislators show up for work on Thursday?0
- Tax & Spending
- May 14, 2020
Kansas legislators return for a critical, one-day wrap-up session on Thursday, May 21 after an extended COVID-induced Spring Break. Typically, it’s mostly a ceremonial day that many legislators willfully choose to miss. This year is different, however. House and Senate members will be dealing with a host of serious issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic,
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Press Release: Time to help our businesses recover 0
- Tax & Spending
- April 30, 2020
April 30 – As Kansas Governor Laura Kelly releases her plan for reopening the state’s economy, many are concerned about the restrictions that will still be in place for many small businesses, individuals, and other organizations. Arbitrary government decisions on who and what is essential have led to a 42% decline in the number of local
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It’s time to reopen Kansas and let everyone go back to work 0
- Tax & Spending
- April 29, 2020
As Governor Kelly and local officials prepare to ease their COVID-19 shutdown orders, we call on them to reopen Kansas now. No more essential versus non-essential. If a business meets reasonable safety guidelines, they should be allowed to open and serve their customers without arbitrary limits. That’s not to say that efforts taken to date
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State, local government need spending cuts, not federal bailouts 0
- Tax & Spending
- April 23, 2020
Everyone from elected officials, government unions, and the Brookings Institute is calling for hundreds of billions more in federal bailouts for states and local governments. There’s no question that government-ordered shutdowns will cause tax revenue to plummet, but bailouts will only make matters worse for employers and individual taxpayers. The longer that states impose shutdowns,
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