TOPEKA – In response to recent questions about legislative dinners hosted by Governor Brownback at Cedar Crest, the Governor’s Chief Counsel Caleb Stegall made the following statement: “The Kansas Open Meetings Act generally does apply to committees of the Legislature. When it applies, KOMA requires that any interactive discussion by a majority of committee members about the business or affairs of that committee be conducted in an open meeting.”

Stegall continued, “While it would not be possible for the Governor to violate KOMA in this situation because the Governor is not a body or agency of the state, the Governor did remind and admonish everyone present at the beginning of each legislative dinner that legislative committees must be aware of and comply with all KOMA requirements. The Governor and the Governor’s staff further explained to legislators present that they could not conduct any discussions about committee business during the dinners.”

The Governor’s Legislative Liaison, former Speaker of the House Tim Shallenburger, who attended each of the functions, added: “At the beginning of the first dinner, on January 9, Governor Brownback stood up and admonished everyone to keep the requirements of KOMA in mind. The Governor went so far as to ask Senate President Morris to assist in ensuring that legislative members not cross that line. Senator Morris agreed and so far as I am aware he succeeded. The Governor and his staff have followed this general protocol at each legislative dinner.”

In 2009 then Attorney General Steve Six wrote that: “’[I]nteractive communication,’ for the purposes of KOMA, requires a mutual or reciprocal exchange between members of a body or agency subject to KOMA. Accordingly, ‘interactive communication’ does not occur when a non-member of a body or agency communicates with a majority of that body or agency board and a member responds and shares the response with other members. Should there be further interactive communications among a majority of the members concerning the business of the body, and there is an intent by any or all of the participants to reach agreement on a matter that would require binding action, those communications are subject to KOMA.” Kan. Atty. Gen. Op. No. 2009-22

Stegall added: “We consulted with the written guidance provided by the Kansas Attorney General’s office, specifically, the guidance that it is not a violation of KOMA for a majority of a body or agency to attend an informative meeting sponsored by another group so long as they do not privately discuss the business or affairs of the body amongst themselves. Reasonable precautions were taken to remind all attendees of their obligations and to prevent any violations of Kansas law.”

Below are the invitation lists of the legislative dinners hosted at Cedar Crest:

January 9
Rep. John Grange
Rep. Don Hill
Rep. Mitch Holmes
Sen. Terrie Huntington
Rep. Steven Johnson
Rep. Jim Kelly
Sen. Jeff King
Sen. Jeff Longbine
Sen. Bob Marshall
Sen. Ty Masterson
Rep. Charles Roth
Rep. Ron Worley
Sen. Vicki Schmidt
Sen. Ruth Teichman
Sen. John Vratil

January 10
Sen. Steve Abrams
Rep. Tom Arpke
Rep. Clay Aurand
Rep. Rick Billinger
Rep. Barbara Bollier
Sen. Terry Bruce
Rep. Terry Calloway
Rep. Ward Cassidy
Rep. Pat Colloton
Rep. Jana Goodman
Rep. Lana Gordon
Rep. Amanda Grosserode
Rep. Jim Howell
Rep. Steve Huebert
Sen. Jeff King
Rep. Brenda Landwehr
Sen. Bob Marshall
Rep. Connie O’Brien
Rep. Leslie Osterman
Sen. Tim Owens
Rep. Ronald Ryckman
Rep. Joseph Scapa
Sen. Jean Schodorf
Rep. Sheryl Spalding
Sen. Ruth Teichman
Sen. Dwayne Umbarger
Sen. Susan Wagle
Sen. John Vratil

January 17
Rep. Anthony Brown
Rep. Rick Billinger
Rep. Rob Bruchman
Rep. Steve Brunk
Rep. Terry Calloway
Rep. Richard Carlson
Rep. Jim Denning
Rep. Owen Donohoe
Rep. Randy Garber
Rep. Mario Goico
Rep. Gary Hayzlett
Rep. Dennis Hedke
Rep. Kasha Kelley
Rep. Dan Kerschen
Rep. Marvin Kleeb
Rep. Reynaldo Mesa
Rep. Leslie Osterman
Rep. Virgil Peck
Rep. Larry Powell
Rep. Willie Prescott
Rep. Joseph Scapa
Rep. Don Schroeder
Rep. Scott Schwab
Rep. Sharon Schwartz
Rep. Gene Suellentrop
Rep. Caryn Tyson
Rep. Brian Weber

January 18
Sen. Pat Apple
Sen. Les Donovan
Sen. Terry Bruce
Sen. Jay Emler
Sen. Dick Kelsey
Sen. Jeff King
Sen. Jeff Longbine
Sen. Garrett Love
Sen. Julia Lynn
Sen. Bob Marshall
Sen. Ty Masterson
Sen. Ray Merrick
Sen. Robert Olson
Sen. Dennis Pyle
Sen. Jean Schodorf
Sen. Chris Steineger
Sen. Susan Wagle

January 23
Sen. Steve Abrams
Rep. Tom Arpke
Rep. Elaine Bowers
Rep. Bob Brookens
Sen. Terry Bruce
Rep. Dan Collins
Rep. Gary Hayzlett
Rep. Brett Hildabrand
Rep. Kyle Hoffman
Rep. Dan Kerschen
Sen. Jeff King
Sen. Garrett Love
Sen. Steve Morris
Rep. Tom Moxley
Rep. Charlotte O’Hara
Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer
Rep. Willie Prescott
Rep. Larry Powell
Sen. Dennis Pyle
Rep. Caryn Tyson
Rep. Brian Weber
Sen. Mark Taddiken
Sen. Ruth Teichman

January 24

Rep. Richard Carlson
Rep. Dave Crum
Rep. Pete DeGraaf
Rep. Jim Denning
Rep. Owen Donohoe
Rep. Lana Gordon
Rep. Kasha Kelley
Rep. Marvin Kleeb
Rep. Peggy Mast
Rep. Joe McLeland
Rep. Virgil Peck
Rep. Joann Pottorff
Rep. Marc Rhoades
Rep. Sharon Schwartz
Rep. Clark Shultz
Rep. Gene Suellentrop

January 25
Sen. Jay Emler
Sen. Terrie Huntington
Sen. Kelly Kultala
Sen. Ty Masterson
Sen. Carolyn McGinn
Sen. Vicki Schmidt
Sen. Jean Schodorf
Sen. Mark Taddiken
Sen. Ruth Teichman
Sen. Dwayne Umbarger
Sen. John Vratil

February 6
Rep. Stephen Alford
Rep. Barbara Ballard
Rep. Bob Bethell
Rep. Benny Boman
Rep. Elaine Bowers
Rep. Mike Burgess
Rep. Tom Burroughs
Rep. Sydney Carlin
Rep. Dan Collins
Rep. Paul Davis
Rep. Nile Dilmore
Rep. Jim Fawcett
Rep. Bill Fuerborn
Rep. Gail Finney
Rep. Geraldine Flaharty
Rep. Stan Frownfelter
Rep. Trent Ladoux
Rep. Doug Gatewood
Rep. Sean Gatewood
Rep. Bob Grant
Rep. TerriLois Gregory
Rep. Broderick Henderson
Rep. Jerry Henry
Rep. Phil Hermanson
Rep. Don Hineman
Rep. Carl Holmes
Rep. Mike Kiegerl
Rep. Lance Kinzer
Rep. Forrest Knox
Rep. Annie Kuether
Rep. Brenda Landwehr
Rep. Harold Lane
Rep. Judith Loganbill
Rep. Anne Mah
Rep. Melody McCray-Miller
Rep. Melanie Mier
Rep. Kelly Meigs
Rep. Bob Montgomery
Rep. Tom Moxley
Sen. Chris Steineger

February 7
Sen. Pete Brungardt
Sen. Marci Francisco
Sen. David Haley
Sen. Anthony Hensley
Sen. Tom Holland
Sen. Laura Kelly
Sen. Kelly Kultala
Rep. Mike O’Neal
Rep. Bill Otto
Rep. Joe Patton
Rep. Janice Pauls
Rep. Mike Peterson
Sen. Mike Petersen
Rep. Eber Phelps