State Republicans Block Proposal To Hold Legislative Party Caucus Meetings In Public

Republicans in the Kansas Senate have blocked a proposal from Democrats to require all legislative party caucus meetings to be open to the public. The Senate voted 30-8 Wednesday against a proposal from Minority Leader Anthony Hensley. Only one Republican, Carolyn McGinn of Sedgwick, supported his measure. The Kansas Open Meetings Act generally requires government meetings to be open to the public. It has an exception for the Legislature, so that each chamber can close their daily caucus meetings. The meetings are rarely closed, though Senate Republicans have done so at least twice over the past decade. Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce says the current system works well.