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Legislative modernization committee presses for clearer access to testimony, online tools and building services
Summary
Members raised repeated concerns about timely access to committee materials and testimony, kiosk and phone functionality, and the rollout of constituent CRM and video‑linking options; staff described current processes and said some fixes are underway but that timing and chair discretion affect publication of materials.
Lawmakers on the Committee on Legislative Modernization pressed staff for fixes to several operational matters — access to public testimony, timely distribution of committee materials, building kiosks, chamber power supplies and phone functions — saying those issues affect member preparedness and public transparency.
Representative Nikki McDonald, a returning member, said late access to committee materials left her unprepared in a previous assignment: "there's no way I could be prepared for a committee when this is such heavy subject matter...there's no reason I was not prepared for my committee." Members agreed the problem impeded participation.
Eric Teal and Gordon Self explained how testimony is submitted and published: the preferred format is PDF, testimony is uploaded by committee assistants into the committee management system, and posting rules (established during and after COVID) set a two‑hour window before committee start for interim/standing committees. Teal said mislabeling of proponent/opponent testimony commonly stems from how submitters mark their cover sheets and from heavy volumes ("sometimes we get 400 and 500 pieces of testimony"), and recommended members contact their committee assistant to escalate specific errors.
Members also raised building and service items. Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services, said LAS administers payroll and facilities, purchases session parking, and handles equipment and kiosk issues; he noted the visitor‑center kiosks are maintained by the Kansas State Historical Society and that recent redistricting caused update delays. On video, Day explained the legislature uses a public YouTube channel (no subscription cost) and an internal Harmony channel (which does incur cost), and that feeds go out with roughly a 20‑second delay.
On constituent management, the committee discussed an Indigo/Indigov CRM pilot. Day said the vendor had made personalization fixes for some users, but uptake remains limited because many legislators lack year‑round staff to operate a CRM.
Chair Turner said several of the items are "on my map" for follow up and thanked staff for assistance; members requested that slide materials and presentation documents be placed on the shared S: drive and that one‑page guides (for phone use and voicemail) be added to new‑member packets. The committee did not adopt formal policy changes but indicated staff will return with more information.
