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Committee hears bill to restore Senate leaders' access to nominees' confidential records
Summary
Senate Judiciary heard Senate Bill 427, which would restore the chair and vice chair of the Senate Committee on Confirmation Oversight the ability to review confidential KBI criminal-history records and tax certification releases for nominees; proponents emphasized confidentiality and existing misdemeanor penalties for unauthorized disclosure.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 427, a measure to clarify access for Senate confirmation oversight leaders to certain confidential records on nominees.
The reviser, Scott, told the committee the bill would amend multiple statutes (KSA 22-47-14; KSA 75-7-12; and KSA 75-43-15) to make explicit that for appointments requiring Senate confirmation the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Confirmation Oversight may have access to criminal-history record information and a tax certification release. Scott said the bill adds a definition of vice chairperson and requires nomination forms be accompanied by consent to background investigations and a tax certification release.
Edward Penner, assistant director for research with the Legislative Research Department (KLRD), provided historical context, describing a 2008 process under which criminal-history information was sent to the Legislative Research Director’s office for locked review by the majority and minority leaders. He said a 2024 change removed KBI authority to send those records to KLRD, effectively preventing leaders from reviewing the full confidential records. Penner said SB 427 would restore the leaders’ ability to review records by directing appointing authorities to make the information available, while maintaining confidentiality safeguards: "the information could never be photocopied, duplicated, or removed from the director's office," he said.
Senator Chase Blasey, who testified as a proponent, said the intent is to ensure "somebody within the Senate is looking at the full picture," noting that packets provided to the full Senate can be redacted and that leaders need access to unredacted records to perform due diligence.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about scope and enforcement. Reviser Scott pointed to existing penalties on page references in the bill, noting that unauthorized disclosure of fingerprinting information is a class A nonperson misdemeanor and can be grounds for removal from office. Blasey and Penner said that, if concerns arise from a review, leaders would typically raise them privately with an appointing authority such as the governor or attorney general rather than make public disclosures.
No formal committee vote on SB 427 was recorded during the hearing; the chair closed the hearing after noting written proponent testimony had been submitted by the KBI director and others. The bill remains under consideration pending any further procedural steps.
The committee will continue with other agenda items; proponents and staff said technical cleanups would be made to the bill language before future action.
