TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are moving to exert more control over upgrades of Kansas’ unemployment benefits system.
A key GOP legislator has even suggested stripping Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of her control over the state Department of Labor.
The Kansas Senate Commerce Committee continued hearings Wednesday on a bill that would create a new council to monitor the department’s technology upgrades, direct the agency to modernize the unemployment system by the end of 2022, and make other changes in the unemployment system.
Kelly has blamed numerous delays in getting benefits to workers during the coronavirus pandemic and other problems on a decades-old computer system.
But Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson suggested removing the governor’s control over the department.
