Kansas Statutes 75-4318. Meetings of state and subdivisions open to public; exceptions; secret ballots; notice; agenda, cameras, photographic lights, recording devices
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 75-4318
- Board: means the public employee relations board established pursuant to this act. See Kansas Statutes 75-4322
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
- Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (g), all meetings for the conduct of the affairs of, and the transaction of business by, all legislative and administrative bodies and agencies of the state and political and taxing subdivisions thereof, including boards, commissions, authorities, councils, committees, subcommittees and other subordinate groups thereof, receiving or expending and supported in whole or in part by public funds shall be open to the public and no binding action by such public bodies or agencies shall be by secret ballot. Meetings of task forces, advisory committees or subcommittees of advisory committees created pursuant to a governor’s executive order shall be open to the public in accordance with this act.
(b) Notice of the date, time and place of any regular or special meeting of a public body or agency designated in subsection (a) shall be furnished to any person requesting such notice, except that:
(1) If notice is requested by petition, the petition shall designate one person to receive notice on behalf of all persons named in the petition, and notice to such person shall constitute notice to all persons named in the petition;
(2) if notice is furnished to an executive officer of an employees’ organization or trade association, such notice shall be deemed to have been furnished to the entire membership of such organization or association; and
(3) the public body or agency may require that a request to receive notice must be submitted again to the public body or agency prior to the commencement of any subsequent fiscal year of the public body or agency during which the person wishes to continue receiving notice, but, prior to discontinuing notice to any person, the public body or agency must notify the person that notice will be discontinued unless the person resubmits a request to receive notice.
(c) It shall be the duty of the presiding officer or other person calling the meeting, if the meeting is not called by the presiding officer, to furnish the notice required by subsection (b).
(d) Prior to any meeting mentioned by subsection (a), any agenda relating to the business to be transacted at such meeting shall be made available to any person requesting the agenda.
(e) The use of cameras, photographic lights and recording devices shall not be prohibited at any meeting mentioned by subsection (a), but such use shall be subject to reasonable rules designed to insure the orderly conduct of the proceedings at such meeting.
(f) Except as provided by section 22 of article 2 of the constitution of the state of Kansas, interactive communications in a series shall be open if they collectively involve a majority of the membership of the public body or agency, share a common topic of discussion concerning the business or affairs of the public body or agency, and are intended by any or all of the participants to reach agreement on a matter that would require binding action to be taken by the public body or agency.
(g) The provisions of the open meetings law shall not apply:
(1) To any administrative body that is authorized by law to exercise quasi-judicial functions when such body is deliberating matters relating to a decision involving such quasi-judicial functions;
(2) to the prisoner review board when conducting parole hearings or parole violation hearings held at a correctional institution;
(3) to any impeachment inquiry or other impeachment matter referred to any committee of the house of representatives prior to the report of such committee to the full house of representatives; and
(4) if otherwise provided by state or federal law or by rules of the Kansas senate or house of representatives.