TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have given final approval to a bill backed by Republicans to make it easier for state agencies to move jobs out of the civil service system.

The Senate passed the bill Tuesday on a 24-16 vote. The House approved the bill in March, and it goes next to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. It embodies a proposal from his administration.

Supporters of the bill say the measure would give agencies more flexibility and allow them to better reward high-performing workers. They said the goal is to have agencies operate more like private businesses.

But Democrats and other critics argued that state workers would be stripped of needed job protections.

Civil service workers have more job security than non-civil service workers. The state has about 13,000 civil service employees.