Kansas House Votes Down Open Records Expansion

(AP) – The Kansas House has rejected a proposal to expand the state Open Records Act so that it would cover private emails by state officials about government business.
The House on Monday voted 86 to 30 against a proposal from Wichita Democrat Jim Ward.
His measure was inspired by a Wichita Eagle report that Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director used a private email account in December to give two lobbyists a preview of Brownback’s proposals weeks before they were formally unveiled to lawmakers.
Ward offered his proposal as an amendment to an open records bill that later received first-round approval in the House.
Brownback’s office declined to comment on Ward’s proposal. But several GOP lawmakers criticized Ward for not bringing his proposal to a committee for a thorough vetting.