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TOPEKA – Two Kansas legislative candidates who had been “friended” by lobbyists on Facebook have been fined for improperly posting announcements about fundraisers on the social media site.
Kansas law bars incumbent lawmakers and candidates for the House or Senate from soliciting campaign contributions from lobbyists while the Legislature is in session.
House Republican Greg Smith of Overland Park and House GOP candidate Becky Nioce of Topeka posted notices about fundraising events on their Facebook pages in late May. But the Legislature didn’t formally end its session until June 1.
On Wednesday, the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission fined them both $100. Smith and Nioce both said they didn’t mean to violate the law.
Smith is running for an open state Senate seat. Nioce is challenging Democratic Rep. Annie Kuether.
