Kansas Considers Shorter Legislative Sessions January 29, 2016

(AP) – Kansas lawmakers say that legislative sessions need to be curtailed to expedite decisions and save taxpayer money.
The House Committee on Appropriations held a hearing Thursday to discuss a bill that would shorten the session in odd numbered years to 60 days. Even-numbered years would remain at 90 days as required by the Kansas Constitution.
Republican Rep. Marvin Kleeb from Overland Park was one of many members who testified that the shorter session would allow them to spend more time with their families and return to their businesses. They also said it would push lawmakers to discuss bills in a more efficient manner.
Kleeb added that a shorter session could save taxpayers more than $1.9 million a year.

Lawmaker Pushes for Shorter Sessions of Missouri Legislature February 12, 2012

From the Springfield News Leader via johncombest:

The mantra preached by some lawmakers about creating a smaller, smarter state government may become reality for the Missouri General Assembly itself.
The Senate took up a measure last week to cut down the amount of time lawmakers spend meeting in Jefferson City. The legislative session currently lasts about 73 days, but the bill sponsored by Sen. John Lamping, R-Ladue, reduces that to 48 days.
The change could result in more than $400,000 in annual savings, according to the Joint Committee on Legislative Research. Lamping said his main motivation for the bill is to force lawmakers to be more efficient.
That savings includes a reduction in mileage reimbursements and the daily allowance lawmakers receive during the session. That allowance, called a per diem, is $98.40 this year. The change would not affect a lawmaker’s salary, which is about $36,000.
“Yes, this ultimately can save money, but that’s not why we’re doing it,” Lamping said.
Lamping, a first-term senator, said he is frustrated by the amount of downtime he experienced at the start of the session both last year and again this year. He believes many lawmakers did not buckle down and focus on their work until the mid-May adjournment day loomed.
“Only the deadline motivated people to get busier,” he said.
Lawmakers are required to adjourn by May 18 this year. Lamping’s measure would move that up to the middle of April.
According to data provided by Lamping’s office, Missouri’s legislative session is about middle-of-the-road compared to other states. Several state legislatures meet for longer periods of time. Lawmakers in Texas, Nevada and North Dakota meet in regular session every other year.
In 2010, Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, sponsored a similar bill, which died in the Senate.
This wouldn’t be the first change to Missouri’s legislative session. Prior to 1970, lawmakers met in regular session every other year. Voters amended the Missouri Constitution, allowing lawmakers to meet every year.
Lamping’s proposal would also amend the constitution, and that requires voter approval. The shortened session would not start until 2015.