Lawmakers and officials in Kansas seem to be unclear on what some of the laws on that state's books actually mean.
In the second part of Wednesday's Up to Date, we'll talk with Kansas State University Prof. Joe Aistrup and Washburn University Prof. Bob Beatty about creative ways state officials seem to be interpreting laws on subjects such as campaign donations and the Open Meetings Act.
A recent editorial in the Topeka Capital-Journal addressed the latter point as well.
Joe Aistrup is professor of political science at Kansas State University and interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in Kansas politics, public policy and methodology. Aistrup received a Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University. He has published two books: Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures and The Southern Strategy Revisited: Top-Down Republican Party Development in the South. Bob Beatty is a professor of political science at Washburn University in Topeka. He received his B.A. from Carleton College, his M.A. from the University of Kentucky, and his Ph.D from Arizona State University. His research and projects in Kansas Studies focus on Kansas history and politics, with a particular focus on Kansas governors and Kansas elections. He is the political analyst for KSNT-27 News in Topeka and has co-produced and hosted debates for Kansas gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, and congressional races that have been televised across the state and nationwide on C-SPAN. He also writes a syndicated column on Kansas politics for the Insight Kansas newspaper syndicate. The column runs in over 20 newspapers, including the Wichita Eagle, Hutchinson News, Pittsburg Gazette and Marysville Advocate.
