Topeka ? Repeat sex offenders must wear electronic monitors until the day they die under Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ proposal financed by her state budget unveiled Tuesday. She also included extra money for prison guards in an effort to reduce the high turnover rate.

The governor’s $11.7 billion budget to finance state government after July 1 also had other tough-on-crime proposals such as making it easier for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to track sexual predators and other criminals.

In her State of the State speech Monday night, Sebelius said she wants all second-time sex offenders after being released from prison to wear a Global Positioning System bracelet for the rest of the lives. Generally, such devices are worn around the ankle and can track a person either in real time or create a record of movements to be reviewed later.

Her budget calls for spending $1.1 million to place up to 225 repeat sex offenders under GPS surveillance. The idea of GPS tracking isn’t new; Sebelius just wants to expand it.

The Department of Corrections has been using GPS tracking for five years to keep tabs on high-risk offenders with good results. At any given time, from 35-45 people on parole are wearing an ankle bracelet.

The governor also included $3.1 million to provide a pay boost for guards at the eight state prisons, in addition to the 2.5 percent raise she proposed for all state workers.

“We have a difficult time recruiting and retaining corrections officer staff at the entry level because our salaries aren’t competitive,” said Secretary of Corrections Roger Werholtz.

Werholtz said the governor’s proposal would provide salary boosts from 2.5 percent to 15 percent with the higher increases in the lower pay grades. Of the 1,990 uniformed officers, the majority are in the lower two pay grades with annual starting salaries in the $24,000 to $26,000 range.

He said there’s an annual turnover rate of about 25 percent among officers. He said many leave for higher paying jobs at county jails and others decide get in another line of work.

“They get trained and then are hired away for more money,” Werholtz said. “One of the things we can do to get people and hang on to them is pay them a competitive wage.”

Sebelius’ proposals come as legislators are talking about increased penalties for sexual predators, especially those who target children and limiting how close predators can live to schools and day care centers.

“The real key is trying to divine what will work, what will reduce crime and what will be effective,” said Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville.

KBI Deputy Director Kyle Smith said this may be the year for addressing sex crimes.

“It looks like one of those years where the stars are aligned for dealing with sex offenders,” Smith said.

Sebelius recommended $150,000 to replace lost federal funds to the KBI and nearly $146,000 for three crime lab technicians including one for DNA work.

“It’s running behind. We just don’t have the people, the space or the resources to keep up with it now,” Smith said, adding the KBI gets some 8,000 DNA samples per year.

There are some 4,000 registered sex offenders in the KBI database and Sebelius recommended $73,000 for two people to help keep it current.