Open Records

Governor Kelly is committed to the public policy as established by the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) that public records be open for inspection by the public unless otherwise provided by Kansas law. If you would like to submit a request for records, please review the information provided on this page.

Your Rights

• You have the right to inspect and obtain copies of public records that Governor Kelly maintains which are not otherwise exempt from disclosure by a specific law.
  • The Governor is only required to provide public records that already exist. There is no requirement to create a record at your request.
• You have the right to obtain a copy of the agency’s policies and procedures for access to records and to request assistance from the agency’s Freedom of Information Officer.
  • The Freedom of Information Officer, or a designee, is available to assist you in following the policies and procedures necessary to obtain access to or copies of the public records you want.
• You have the right to receive a written response to your request within three business days.
  • The response may inform you that it will take additional time to produce the records. Reasons for additional time may include voluminous records, complicated request parameters, unresolved legal issues, or difficulty in accessing archived records.
  • The response may deny your request, in whole or in part. If the request is denied, the agency must identify generally the records denied and the specific legal authority for the denial.
• You have the right to bring a private lawsuit or file a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office or the county or district attorney if you feel you are wrongly denied records.

How to Request a Public Record

Requests for public records must be submitted in writing. Requests can be sent to the following email address:

Email: gokora@ks.gov

To expedite the process, please provide a specific description of the record you seek. We may ask you to clarify what records you need so that we may be certain your request is fulfilled.

Fees

You may be charged a reasonable fee for staff time and expenses incurred processing your request. We may require advance payment of the fee. No fee or charge shall be assessed for the copying of documents in response to a request made by any Kansas resident, up to and including the first 100 pages of copies. If responsive public records exist but are voluminous, difficult to locate, or contain a mix of open and closed information, it is likely that prepaid fees will be required. If prepaid fees are required, the following rates apply:

• Copying fee: $0.25 per page after the first 100 pages; additional fees of $0.50 for the first 5 pages sent by mail and $0.05 for each additional mailed page.
• Staff time for which you will be charged includes time spent accessing, identifying, reviewing, redacting, copying, or organizing responsive or potentially responsive records.
  • Clerical Services: $18/hour
  • Information Technology (IT): $38/hour
  • Attorney Services: $55/hour for Chief Counsel
                                      $33/hour for Deputy Chief Counsel
  • Other staff time will be charged at the rate of pay for each employee whose time is needed to respond to your request.

Exceptions to the Kansas Open Records Act

The KORA recognizes that certain records contain private or privileged information. Exceptions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Certain personnel information of public employees
• Medical treatment records
• Records protected by the attorney-client privilege or an attorney work product
• Records closed by the rules of evidence
• Records containing personal information
• Notes and preliminary drafts
• Criminal investigations
• Records otherwise required by law to be confidential

A detailed list of exemptions to the Kansas Open Records Act can be found in K.S.A. 45-221.