State government: How to get involved
Listen to address
Gov. Sam Brownback will give his 2017 State of the State address at 5 p.m. Tuesday from the House chamber in the Statehouse.
The speech will be broadcast live on www.governor.ks.gov/.
Look for coverage of the speech at Kansas.com afterward and in Wednesday’s print edition of The Eagle.
Track legislation
▪ By computer:
Find House and Senate calendars and listings of legislators at www.kslegislature.org.
You can search for bills by keywords or phrases and track a bill through the legislative process. You can also listen to House and Senate sessions live.
The Kansas State Library welcomes questions about Kansas government. Instant message the librarians at kslib.info/ask-a-librarian.
▪ By phone:
Call the legislative hotline at 800-432-3924. Use the same number for TTY calls for the hearing impaired.
The hotline has information about legislative activity and documents, including bill introductions, sponsorships, amendments, status, history and other related legislative action.
Text the Kansas State Library at 785-256-0733. The text service is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Track spending
To examine where the state’s money comes from and how it is being spent, go to http://kanview.ks.gov/.
Contact a legislator
You can find updated contact information for legislators soon at Kansas.com/politics and at www.kslegislature.org. You can write, e-mail, call or contact them on social media.
Contact the governor
▪ By mail: Office of the Governor, Capitol, 300 SW 10th Ave., Suite 241S, Topeka, KS 66612-1590
▪ By phone: 877-579-6757 or 785-296-3232; for hearing impaired, 800-766-3777
▪ By e-mail: Online forms are available at www.governor.ks.gov/contact-the-governor. There are forms for casework, proclamations, special occasion and recognition requests, and legislation and policy issues.
▪ On Facebook: www.facebook.com/govsambrownback
▪ On Twitter: @govsambrownback
View campaign contributions
Find out who donated money to your legislator through reports filed with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. Go to https://ethics.kansas.gov/ and click on Campaign Finance, then click on View Submitted Forms & Reports.
Find a department
Go to www.kansas.gov for links to state departments and elected officials, including the governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
Be a legislative page
Students who are 12 or older can volunteer to be a page for a day. Pages work as messengers from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. They also tour the Capitol building. Contact your legislator and ask to apply; spots fill up quickly.
Tour the Capitol
The Capitol is open to the public 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Kansas Historical Society offers free tours on weekdays. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Call 785-296-3966 for reservations or go to www.kshs.org, click on Visit, then Kansas State Capitol, and then Plan Your Visit.
Tours of the Capitol dome are offered several times each weekday. Additional tours can be set up by calling 785-296-3966 or at capitol@kshs.org.
The Visitor Center, including the Capitol store, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Visitors can enter the Capitol off Eighth Avenue and can park free for two hours in the underground parking garage.
Tour the governor’s mansion
Free tours of the Cedar Crest governor’s residence are available Mondays every half hour between 1 and 3:30 p.m. For questions or reservations, call 785-296-3636.
This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "State government: How to get involved."