Cities and counties in Kansas will be barred from requiring private contractors to pay union-scale wages on public projects, starting in July.

Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill into law Tuesday to prohibit local governments from requiring private firms to pay employees more than the federal minimum wage for work on public contracts.

The legislation was aimed at local policies requiring contractors to pay prevailing wages. The federal Department of Labor sets those rates, and critics say they’re often based on union scales.

Wyandotte County has a prevailing wage policy that will be repealed by the new law.

Brownback’s fellow Republicans said such a law would lower the cost of public projects. Democrats said prevailing wage policies don’t boost costs and ensure workers earn a decent living.

The state of Kansas gained 16,900 nonfarm jobs and 19,300 private sector jobs since January 2012.

“After seasonal factors are accounted for, Kansas started the year with healthy job growth in the private sector, ” said Tyler Tenbrink, Senior Labor Economist. “This is on top of favorable annual revisions to the 2011 and 2012 employment estimates.”

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed unchanged from December at 5.5 percent. Triggered by seasonal factors, the state lost 19,400 private sector jobs and 27,700 nonfarm jobs since December 2012.

Eight of the 11 major industries showed job gains since January 2012. Professional and business services added 8,600 jobs. Leisure and hospitality gained 3,000 jobs. Financial activities gained 2,400 jobs.

“The Kansas labor market has continued to improve adding more than 19,000 private sector jobs this past year,” said Lana Gordon, Secretary of Labor. “This is a positive start for 2013 that we hope to see continue.”

(AP) – The Kansas Board of Regents is preparing to discuss legislative proposals for higher education spending in the state budget year that starts July 1.

A review of the budget proposals was on the board’s agenda for a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

House budget writers have proposed a 4 percent cut for higher education in the next budget. The roughly $29 million reduction in operational spending is in addition to $18 million in salary reductions.

The Senate is proposing a 2 percent reduction, or about $15.2 million.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback plans to tour public universities, community colleges and technical schools over the next two weeks to argue for keeping higher education funding unchanged.

Legislators will resume budget talks in May.

The state of Kansas spent more than $13 million in overtime last year, and that does not include employees at universities.

Data provided by the state shows most of the overtime was paid to employees at Kansas’ mental health and correctional facilities. Those employees made $6.2 million in overtime last year.

The Topeka Capital-Journal filed an open records request for the overtime information for the 2012 calendar year.

Corrections and state hospital officials say most of the overtime is the result of an inability to fill positions at the facilities, which operate 24 hours a day.

Officials with the corrections and mental health departments say overtime was reduced last year at several of the facilities.

(AP) – President Barack Obama has canceled his scheduled visit Friday to the University of Kansas in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.

The White House issued a brief statement Tuesday saying the president’s schedule had changed. He will go to Boston on Thursday to attend an interfaith memorial dedicated to victims of the blasts.

It’s unclear whether the White House will reschedule the Kansas visit.

The purpose of Obama’s trip to Kansas had not been disclosed, though state Democratic leaders were asked to find a venue on the Lawrence campus that could hold between 3,000 and 6,000 people.