Kansas Panel Rejects Cap on Lawmakers' Pay Raise
The Legislative Coordinating Council left a 4.4% raise for the state's 165 legislators in place after a tied vote on a 1% limit.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council rejected a proposal to limit legislators' pay raise to 1%, leaving a 4.4% increase for the state's 165 lawmakers in place. The proposal failed on a 3-3 vote with two members absent.
Why it matters
The decision means the Legislature's own compensation rises well above the raises granted to executive branch employees in 2026, a gap critics called unfair. The final call on a reduction now falls to the 2027 Legislature.
The 3-3 tie vote, with Senate President Ty Masterson and Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes absent, kept the 4.4% raise for 165 legislators in place. The scheduled increase is set to take effect in January, while the 2027 Legislature will decide whether to reduce it.
The players
Laura Kelly
Kansas governor who vetoed the Legislature's operating and salary budget in April 2026 and advocated a 2.5% raise for executive branch employees.
Ty Masterson
Kansas Senate President who was absent when the Legislative Coordinating Council voted on the pay limit proposal.
Dinah Sykes
Kansas Senate Minority Leader who was absent when the Legislative Coordinating Council voted on the pay limit proposal.
Shallenburger
Kansas lawmaker who argued it would be unfair for the Legislature to grant itself a raise more than four times greater than rank-and-file employees received.
The details
Legislators currently receive about $58,000 annually in salary and per diem compensation, plus $6,000 per year for official mailing privileges. Under the Legislature's retirement program, benefits are calculated as if members earned $90,000 per year. The Council's decision follows a 2023 law creating the Kansas Legislative Compensation Committee, which took no action in 2024, automatically adopting its compensation plan.
Timeline
2023: Legislature created the Kansas Legislative Compensation Committee.
2024: Legislature took no action, so the compensation system was automatically adopted.
April 2026: Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the Legislature's operating and salary budget; lawmakers later overrode the veto and approved a 1% executive branch raise.
November 7, 2026: Legislative Coordinating Council rejected the 1% limit proposal.
January 2027: Scheduled legislative salary enhancements take effect.
Legislative Policy
The dispute traces directly to the 2023 law creating the Kansas Legislative Compensation Committee, whose plan took effect automatically in 2024 when lawmakers took no action. The 2027 Legislature's decision will determine whether that automatic framework is modified.
The scheduled raise affects the salaries and per diem payments Kansas taxpayers fund for legislators, with the 2027 session deciding whether it changes. Residents who track state spending can watch the appropriations bills, since raises for about 35,000 executive branch employees are set through those measures.
The takeaway
Pay-setting for Kansas lawmakers now runs through a commission-based framework, so future changes will depend on legislative action rather than inaction. Residents wanting to follow the 2027 decision should watch appropriations bills closely.
What happens next
The 2027 Legislature will make the final decision on whether to reduce the legislative salary enhancement scheduled for January 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Legislative Policy coverage across Kansas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kansas Reflector.
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