TOPEKA – Free training sessions on Kansas open government laws will be offered later this month across Kansas, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government announced today.

“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:

Wednesday, July 17	9 a.m. – Noon	WSU Marcus Welcome Center Mike Oatman Dr., Wichita, KS 67208
Friday, July 19	1 – 4 p.m.	Colby Community College Robert Burnett Memorial Student Union Rooms 108 and 109 1255 S. Range Ave., Colby, KS 67701
Wednesday, July 24	1:30 – 5 p.m.	Kansas City Kansas Public Library Main Branch, 2nd Floor Auditorium 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101
Thursday, July 25	10 a.m. – 2 p.m.	Independence Public Library 220 E. Maple St., Independence, KS 67301
Friday, July 26	9 a.m. – Noon	Memorial Hall, 2nd Floor Auditorium 120 S.W. 10th Ave., Topeka, KS 66612

These seminars are free, and open to the public. Space at each location is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants can register on the Kansas Attorney General’s website, www.ag.ks.gov/open-gov, or by calling (785) 296-2215 or (888) 428-8436.

The training about the Kansas Open Records Act and the Kansas Open Meetings Act will be conducted by attorneys in Schmidt’s office who have experience in open government laws and who are charged by law with training and enforcement of them. Panelists will include Kansas Sunshine Coalition members, local government officials and media representatives.