KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Department of Labor has a new Secretary of Labor.
The Kansas Senate voted 40-0 Wednesday to confirm Gov. Laura Kelly's appointment of Amber Shultz.
She has been Acting Secretary until her official confirmation and during that time has deployed new fraud mitigation software and implemented American Rescue Plan payments without gaps in payments.
Shultz was previously the General Manager of Municipal Services and Operations for the City of Lawrence where she worked on creating efficient data management. She has had many IT positions where she focused on innovation and modernization.
“I am honored to have this opportunity and appreciate the Senate’s support to serve the people of Kansas," Shultz said in a release. "I look forward to working with the legislature, business community and Kansas workers to bring a long overdue modernization effort to our unemployment system – giving Kansans the level of service they deserve from this agency.”
Modernization is one of the main goals of KDOL, asits outdated unemployment system has left thousands of Kansans without unemployment payments and created other errors.
Former Sec. Delia Garcia resigned in June of 2020 amid outcry about the department's issues from frustrated Kansans.
