Topeka ? A Kansas legislator and a county official have been named to a commission that will study the state’s pension system and whether it should move toward a 401(k)-style plan for new public employees.

State Sen. Jeff King of Independence and Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan have been named to the commission by Senate President Steve Morris.

The commission was created by legislation addressing the long-term funding problems facing the state retirement system. It projects a $7.7 billion shortfall between its anticipated revenues and benefits promised to teachers and state and local government workers through 2033.

King, an Independence Republican, is vice chairman of a Senate committee on pensions and helped draft the final version of the legislation. Buchanan has been Sedgwick County manager since 1991.