Kansas Open Records Act

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Contents

State sunshine
State laws
How to ask for records
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal


The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Kansas. Statues 45-215 - 45-223 passed by the Kansas legislature define the law.

The Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted. Statutes 75-4317 - 75-4320 of the Kansas legislature define the law.

Kansas's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Kansas #18 in the nation with an overall percentage of 56.00%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Kansas 47 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 25 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Kansas's law as the 34th worst in the country, giving it a letter grade of "D+".[3]

Public Records

Public Records are addressed by Kansas statutes 45-215 - 45-223. The basis of the law that it "is declared to be the public policy of the state that public records shall be open for inspection by any person"[4].

Open Meetings

Open Meetings are addressed by Kansas statutes 75-4317 - 75-4320. A meeting is defined as: "'meeting' means any gathering, assembly, telephone call or any other means of interactive communication by a majority of a quorum of the membership of a body or agency subject to this act for the purpose of discussing the business or affairs of the body or agency." [5].

Who May Request Kansas Records?

Anyone may request public documents in Kansas. "All public records shall be open for inspection by any person". [6]

For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
  2. ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
  3. ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
  4. ↑ Open Record statute 45-216
  5. ↑ Open Record statute 75-4317a
  6. ↑ KSA, 45-218
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