With snow blanketing Topeka, Kansas governor sends state employees home for remote work

Most state employees were sent home early on Monday and told not to come in on Tuesday due to inclement weather in the capital city and across the state.

Gov. Laura Kelly issued the declaration Monday afternoon as snow blanketed the Statehouse on the first day of the 2024 legislative session.

"Due to the hazardous road conditions and increasingly heavy winter weather, we are closing state office buildings in Shawnee County early today and allowing state employees to work remotely tomorrow," Kelly said in a statement. "Please stay safe, exercise extreme caution if you must drive, and give road crews enough space to do their jobs safely."

At around noon on Monday, the National Weather Service office in Topeka forecasted 4 to 6 inches of snow in Topeka between Monday and Tuesday. The weather service cautioned that amounts could be higher in the Topeka area, and warned to "expect disruptions to daily life" and "hazardous driving conditions."

Snowfall was expected to peak during the overnight hours then diminish by late morning Tuesday.

State office buildings in Shawnee County closed at 3 p.m. Monday and will remain closed on Tuesday before reopening Wednesday. Most state employees under the governor's administration will work remotely on Tuesday, if possible.

Essential employees, such as snowplow drivers, will still report to work as normal.

The order only applies to executive branches under the governor within Shawnee County. Authorities in other counties will make the decisions for those offices, as will leaders of the Board of Regents, the judicial branch, the legislative branch and other state offices under other elected officers.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, told a House GOP caucus Monday afternoon that the chamber would be pro forma on Tuesday, meaning no substantive action. He said the Legislature would operate with a skeleton crew and told committee chairs to make "prudent decisions" about whether to meet.

If committees do meet, assistants and possibly the chairs would need to be in-person, but other members could potentially attend remotely.

"As you can see outside, the weather is starting to turn on us," Hawkins said.

Wednesday is expected to be back to normal operations, including the State of the Judiciary address that afternoon and the governor's State of the State that evening.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Snow and ice in Topeka means state employees will work remotely