TOPEKA ? Republican legislators in Kansas were moving ahead Wednesday with bills to shrink the state’s civil service and restrict public employee unions, saying the measures would modernize government and make it operate more like private industry.

Public employee groups saw the bills being considered by the House and Senate commerce committees as part of a coordinated attack on organized labor, a key source of political support for Democrats. They also argued that the changes will harm workers.

“All the little bricks go together,” said Rebecca Proctor, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees.

The House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee approved a bill making it easier for state agencies to move jobs outside the civil service system, where workers have greater job security than political appointees. The proposal comes from Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, and the committee’s 9-7 vote sends the measure to the full House for debate.

The state has about 13,000 civil service employees, and Department of Administration spokesman John Milburn said in an email that the change “gives the flexibility to the agency when it fits their mission.”

“It does fit much more with the practices of industry today in leveraging their talent,” said House committee Chairman Mark Hutton, a Wichita Republican.

Milburn said even if the changes are enacted, many state jobs will remain in civil service. Proctor was skeptical, saying the measure basically phases out the system.

Meanwhile, the Senate Commerce Committee debated a bill to limit collective bargaining between state agencies and public employee unions to minimum pay for workers.

The measure also would repeal a provision in state law allowing a union or an agency to seek mediation of a contract dispute. It would have the governor’s secretary of labor review disagreements over whether a government agency is violating employment laws, rather than a five-person board with one member representing public employees.

The Senate committee expects to vote Thursday on the measure.

“The picture that will emerge is that the state will have a modernized and competitive human resource system,” said Chairwoman Julia Lynn, an Olathe Republican. “We’re working with a 50-year-old model that needs to be revisited.”

Backers of the proposal argue that with collective bargaining restricted, state agencies will be less hamstrung in rewarding employees for performing well or boosting pay in certain jobs to compete with private industry. They initially wanted to narrow employees’ collective bargaining with cities and counties as much but backed off.

Sen. Jeff Melcher, a Leawood Republican, said the goal is to break down an “artificial divide” between management and labor” and “move government to act more like the private sector.”

But Sen. Tom Holland, of Baldwin City, the committee’s ranking Democrat said the measure is “trashing” a system that gives workers a way to pursue grievances against managers and mediate disputes.

“These are valuable tools in helping them work with management to resolve their issues,” Holland said.

The Senate committee also expected to vote Thursday on another measure blocking paycheck deductions for teachers’ and public employees’ union dues. It would prohibit state and local government agencies, including school districts, from using their resources to help unions collect dues.