20-2907. Same; oath of members; meetings; meeting place; rules of procedure; quorum; expenses; duties of county commissioners; public body subject to open meetings act. (a) Prior to taking office, each member of a district judicial nominating commission shall take and subscribe an oath of office as provided by law for public officers, and shall file the same with the clerk of the supreme court. After the members of the first commission established in a judicial district have commenced their terms of office, the chairman shall call a meeting of the commission to be held within the judicial district at a time and place designated by the chairman. At such meeting, the commission shall determine a regular meeting place or places, and the commission shall have the power to adopt such reasonable and proper rules and regulations as are necessary for the conduct of its proceedings and the discharge of its duties, consistent with the provisions of this act and the constitution and laws of this state.

(b) The commission shall meet only upon call of the chairman, and the commission shall not take any final action except at such meeting. A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum to do business, but no final action shall be taken except upon a vote of the majority of the members of the commission.

(c) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing their official duties, as provided in K.S.A. 75-3223(b), (c) and (d), and amendments thereto. Such expenses shall be paid from the judicial nominating commission fund as provided in K.S.A. 20-138, and amendments thereto.

(d) The board of county commissioners of each county in a judicial district shall cooperate with the district judicial nominating commission of such judicial district, and shall make available to the commission wherever possible the facilities and services of such county, in order to expedite the business of the commission.

(e) (1) A district judicial nominating commission shall be and is hereby deemed to be a public body and shall be subject to the open meetings act, K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq., and amendments thereto.

(2) Except as provided further, the commission shall not recess for a closed or executive meeting for any purpose. The commission, in accordance with K.S.A. 75-4319, and amendments thereto, may recess for a closed or executive meeting only for the purpose of discussing sensitive financial information contained within the personal financial records or official background check of a candidate for judicial nomination.

(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to supersede the commission's discretion to close a record or portion of a record submitted to the commission pursuant to any applicable exception to public disclosure under the open records act.

History: L. 1974, ch. 137, § 7; L. 2016, ch. 93, § 10; July 1.