Governor’s Legislative Dinners Questioned

Tue, January 31, 2012

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AP / Fletcher Powell

The president of the Kansas Senate says he questioned whether dinners of legislators invited to Gov. Sam Brownback’s official residence violate the state’s open meetings law.

In the last month, Brownback has hosted members of 13 legislative committees at Cedar Crest for what he calls “legislative dinners.”

But some are questioning whether the meetings violate the open meetings law. The law prohibits a majority of a legislative body from discussing government business without giving the public notice and access.

Senate President Steve Morris, a Republican from Hugoton, says he raised that question at a meeting Jan. 9 with members of two legislative committees.

The governor’s spokeswoman, Sherriene Jones-Sontag, has said the private dinners don’t violate the law because they are “social gatherings.”