Kansas lawmakers alter rules to send taxpayer-funded mail after session ends in election years
TOPEKA — A bipartisan panel of legislative leaders voted to rewrite policy and allow lawmakers to mail taxpayer-funded newsletters after the session is over during an election year.
In a practice known as “franking,” the Legislative Coordinating Council’s policy allows representatives to spend up to $6,000 per calendar year and senators up to $18,000 per year on printing and postage for their newsletters. The mail may be delivered to every household within the lawmaker’s district.
A longstanding rule prohibited lawmakers from using their franking privilege after the session concludes during a year in which their chamber is up for election. House members face reelection every two years, while senators are on the ballot every four years.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, requested a change in the policy that would set a May 31 deadline for sending newsletters. That could provide a window of up to two months between the end of the session – if lawmakers can finish their work as intended by late March – and the cutoff for sending newsletters.
https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-lawmakers-alter-rules-to-send-taxpayer-funded-mail-after-session-ends-in-election-years/