Senate committee reviews bill to set electronic copy fees, require livestreaming of public comments and add five‑minute executive‑session grace

Senate Judiciary Committee members on Thursday heard hours of testimony on Senate Bill 70, which would change how Kansas agencies handle public records and meetings, set a presumptive fee for electronic copies and require public bodies that livestream to make all aspects of meetings—including public comment—available for observation.

The measure, described by the reviser during the hearing as touching multiple statutes, would deem certain electronic copy fees reasonable, exempt records from formally closed investigations where no violation was found, move a county and district attorney reporting deadline from Jan. 15 to Dec. 15, clarify how subordinate groups count toward Open Meetings Act thresholds, require livestreams to allow public observation of all meeting aspects, and allow a five‑minute deviation for concluding closed sessions.

The bill matters to municipalities, school districts and advocacy groups because it changes how records are provided and how meetings are made publicly available. Supporters said the changes balance transparency with administrative realities; opponents raised concerns about adding statutory per‑page fees for electronic records and about agencies charging both per‑page fees and staff time.

Natalie Scott, the reviser who briefed the committee, summarized the bill’s changes and the statutes it would amend. Scott said the bill’s first section would amend the statute governing fees for copies of records and "provide that a fee…