Free training sessions on Kansas open government laws, including the open records and open meetings acts, will be offered in western Kansas later this month.
The training will be conducted by attorneys from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office, who have experience in open government laws and who are charged by law with training and enforcement of them.
“Open access to the functions of government is important to self-government,” Schmidt said. “As our office investigates complaints of violations of open government laws, most often we find the violations were inadvertent and can be avoided through better education. I encourage public officials, candidates for public office, staff, members of the media and the public to participate in these training sessions to learn more about how these laws work."
The schedule for the sessions is as follows:
- Tuesday, Aug. 21: 1:30–4:30 p.m. at Colby High School Auditorium, 1890 S. Franklin Ave, Colby
- Wednesday, Aug. 22: 9 a.m.–12p.m. at Finney County Public Library, Finnup/Hutchison Rooms, 605 E. Walnut St., Garden City
- Thursday, Aug. 23: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Wichita State University, Marcus Welcome Center, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita
- Friday, Aug. 24: 1:30–4:30 p.m. at Fredonia Public Library, Lafferty Community Meeting Room, 807 Jefferson St., Fredonia
These seminars are free and open to the public. Space at each location is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Participants can register on the Kansas Attorney General’s website, www.ag.ks.gov/open-gov, or by calling (785) 296-2215.
Panelists will include Kansas Sunshine Coalition members, local government officials and media representatives.