TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate has passed four bills aimed at increasing government transparency but rejected a proposal to open officials’ private emails about government business to public scrutiny.
Senators passed all four bills unanimously Thursday.
One would limit government fees for producing records, and another would increase lobbyist disclosures about their funding. A third requires the Legislature to provide live Internet audio of some committee meetings, starting in 2016. A fourth preserves existing open records exceptions.
The chamber rejected an amendment from Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka to require state agencies to disclose officials’ emails about government business on private accounts or networks.
Hensley said that rejecting the amendment was hypocritical after Republican criticism of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s use of private email for official business.
