Time waits for no one, and a Kansas senator is setting a good example by holding committee members accountable for wasting their and their colleagues’ time.

Kansas state Sen. John Vratil isn’t the only one who’s losing patience with people who can’t seem to get to meetings on time.

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vratil, a Leawood Republican, has become increasingly frustrated by colleagues who are chronically late to meetings. Last week, after five committee members arrived at a scheduled meeting at least 10 minutes late, Vratil decided it was time to start, shall we say, getting tough and taking names. He ordered the committee secretary to record the arrival times for anyone who was late and making that part of the panel’s official record.

This isn’t just a government problem and Vratil isn’t alone in his frustration with people who think it’s OK to keep others waiting while they attend to other matters. Whether it’s a legislative committee or a business meeting, people who arrive late create several problems.

Those who arrive on time are forced to either waste their time waiting for the latecomers or go ahead without them. In important matters, like those presumably discussed in legislative committees, it’s sometimes imperative for key people to be present for discussion and decision-making. That means that any discussion that occurs before their arrival probably will end up having to be repeated. It’s a waste of time and a discourtesy to people who arrive on time.

Time is money. Unproductive time in the Legislature wastes the taxpayers’ money; unproductive time in the work place wastes the company’s money. Time spent waiting on others for any kind of meeting is at least an annoyance.

It’s true that state legislators are busy people, and there certainly are acceptable reasons for an occasional tardy arrival. But making a habit of it is rude and disrespectful of other people who also are busy. We applaud Vratil’s effort to hold his committee members accountable and perhaps set a standard for those outside the Legislature to emulate.