Kansas lawmakers fear further delays to $100 million KPERS payment

Lawmakers fear Kansas will not make good on its promise to pay $100 million to its pension system that it withheld earlier this year on the condition the amount is paid with interest by 2018.

Members of the Joint Committee on Pensions and Investments said Monday the Legislature will likely further delay making the payment as the state faces budget difficulties that lawmakers must confront next year.

Lawmakers this spring voted to allow Gov. Sam Brownback to delay the payment as a way to help balance the budget. Now, the payment may once again be put off in an effort to ease budget pressures if legislators' intuition proves correct.

“I’m not optimistic it will be paid back within the coming year or by that time frame,” said Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria. “It must be paid back at some point in time because the debt is real even if the immediate desire to pay it is not.”

Read more: http://cjonline.com/news/2016-09-12/kansas-lawmakers-fear-further-delays-100-million-kpers-payment#