Brief⁽¹⁾

S.B. 62 amends the Open Meetings Act by allowing closed and executive meetings on matters concerning security of a public body or agency, information system, computers, building, or facility if public discussion of such matters would jeopardize the security of those entities.

Background

S.B. 62 was recommended for passage by the President of the Senate. Representatives from the League of Municipalities and the Kansas Association of School Boards testified in support of the bill at both the Senate and House Committee hearings.

A representative of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters testified in opposition to the bill at both committee hearings.

The Senate Committee of the Whole amended the bill by narrowing the proposed exception to the Open Meetings Act to include only security matters associated with any public body or agency, building, or facility and deleted the language dealing with emergencies.

The House Committee on Governmental Organization and Elections amended the bill to clarify that computer and information systems security was included in the exception.

The Division of the Budget's fiscal note on the bill states that enactment will not have a fiscal impact on state agencies. The Division had not received information regarding impact on local units of government at the time the fiscal note was prepared.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html.