About Our Office
The Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) is one of four nonpartisan agencies that provide support services for the Kansas Legislature. The Department has provided nonpartisan, objective research and fiscal analysis for the Kansas Legislature since 1934.
Organization
The Legislative Coordinating Council appoints a Director of KLRD, who oversees a staff of about 40 employees, including research and fiscal analysts, IT and administrative services support, and legislative fellows and interns. Analysts specialize in subject areas such as agricultural and natural resources, criminal justice, energy and utilities, education, ethics and elections, federal and state affairs, health and human services, military and veterans, redistricting, taxation, and transportation.
Responsibilities
Common duties of analysts include, but are not limited to:
- Staffing standing and interim legislative committees (more information can be found on the Committees page);
- Gathering and presenting information to legislative committees and individual legislators;
- Writing supplemental notes, subcommittee reports, and conference committee report briefs;
- Analyzing state agency budgets, agency budget requests, and the Governor’s budget recommendations, and
- Assisting with the writing of appropriations bills.
Analysts also contribute to several larger KLRD publications that aid in the understanding of the legislative process and activities of each legislative session. These publications include both fiscal and policy related documents written for a variety of audiences. More details regarding the types of publications, as well as copies of KLRD publications, can be found on the Publications and Research page.
KLRD staff frequently assist constituents with questions regarding the current or historical legislation and the legislative process. For more information on the general services the Department is able to provide to the public, please visit the About Us page.
Services to Legislators
KLRD staff members provide nonpartisan, objective research and fiscal analysis for members of the Kansas Legislature year round. Staff can provide immediate assistance to legislators in some instances, and also can prepare more expansive responses to more in-depth questions. All legislators’ research requests and responses are confidential. KLRD will not reveal a requestor’s name, the intended use of research or information, or the factors that prompted the request without explicit permission from the requestor to reveal that a report exists or that a particular request has been made, unless the report or request has already been publicly identified or distributed as provided in the Kansas Open Records Act.
Services for Legislators include:
- Requesting information from local, state and federal entities, and other relevant organizations;
- Referring legislators to existing resources on state and federal governments, programs, and policy issues;
- Providing contact information for agency staff or other knowledgeable persons;
- Summarizing current law in Kansas and other states;
- Researching legislative history of a statute or policy area; and
- Other services approved by the KLRD Director.
Tips on Requesting Information
- Be as specific as possible;
- Provide any helpful background information; and
- Provide us with any deadlines you have, your contact information, and in what format you would prefer to receive the information.
How to Request Information:
- Call;
- E-mail;
- Web form; (TBD)
- Visit our office;
- Subject area assignments and contact information for individual staff are available in the left column of this About page.
Services to the Public
What KLRD Can Provide
KLRD staff primarily focuses on the Department’s core mission of providing nonpartisan, objective research and fiscal analysis for the Kansas Legislature and its members. We also provide information to the public, assisting with constituent requests and responding to direct inquiries from the public regarding current or historical legislation and the legislative process. Further, our staff can assist the public by:
- Helping to locate and use legislative resources;
- Suggesting other research resources for legislative topics; and
- Recommending other government agencies or sources for queries beyond the scope of our Department.
Because of the Department’s purpose and limitations under Kansas law, the Department cannot provide the following to the public:
- Legal advice (including whether and how a particular statute may apply in a specific situation);
- Interpretation of a statute or the legislative intent behind a statute; or
- Extensive research assistance for a non-legislative purpose.
Many of the Department’s publications and other resources are available on this website for easy access by the public. If you do not find the answer to your question through these resources, please contact the Department at 785-296-3181 or kslegres@klrd.ks.gov and our staff would be happy to assist you.