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Committee on Federal and State Affairs reviews Kansas open‑meetings and public‑records duties, warns against 'reply all' emails
Summary
Members received a briefing from Mike Heim of the Revisor of Statutes Office on the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act, including quorum rules, public‑access requirements, open‑records response times, potential fines, and email cautions to avoid inadvertent violations.
Mike Heim of the Revisor of Statutes Office briefed members of the Committee on Federal and State Affairs on the Kansas Open Meetings Act and the Kansas Open Records Act and warned that commonplace practices such as replying to a group email can create a violation of open‑meetings rules.
Heim, who distributed a printed memo, told the committee the Open Meetings Act (passed in 1972) applies broadly to legislative and administrative bodies and their subcommittees, and that a gathering of a majority of voting members discussing public business constitutes a meeting. He noted this committee has 23 members, so 12 members would constitute a quorum. "I didn't trust the paperless, so I made copies. But from now on, I will trust the paperless," Heim said as he opened the briefing.
The m…
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