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Attorney General of Kansas
| Kansas Attorney General | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Kansas Constitution, Article I § 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
 | |
| Name: | Derek Schmidt |
| Officeholder Party: | Republican |
| Assumed office: | January 10, 2011 |
| Compensation: | $98,901 |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Last election: | November 2, 2010 |
| Other Kansas Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Wildlife and Parks Secretary • Labor Secretary • Corporation Commission | |
Contents |
Current Officeholder
The current occupant of the office is Republican Derek Schmidt. He resigned his seat on the Kansas State Senate upon his defeat of former Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six in November 2010. Schmidt took office January 10, 2011.
Authority
The Attorney General's powers are derived from Article 1 of the Kansas Constitution.
Article 1, Section 1:
| The constitutional officers of the executive department shall be the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, who shall have such qualifications as are provided by law. |
Qualifications
There are no constitutional or statutory qualifications for this office.[1]
Elections
As with other executive officers, the Attorney General is elected to serve for a term of four years of length, which runs concurrently with the term of the governor. The election is held in November and the statewide official takes office the following January.
Term limits
There is no term limit for this office. (Kansas Constitution, Article I § 1)
Vacancies
Article 1, Section 11 addresses the legal procedure for filling Vacancies in Executive Offices.
| When the office of secretary of state or attorney general is vacant, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the remainder of the term. If the secretary of state or attorney general is disabled, the governor shall name a person to assume the powers and duties of the office until the disability is removed. |
Duties
The Attorney General of Kansas is the state's chief legal official and law enforcement official. The Attorney General's office carries out its prescribed duties through the coordinated efforts of its constituent divisions. The office is responsible for protecting consumers from fraud, assisting the victims of crime, defending the state in civil proceedings, giving legal council to the state's various agencies and boards, and ensuring the legal integrity of overall governmental operations as per Kansas' constitutional guidelines and state code.
Campaign finance
- Main article: Campaign finance requirements for Kansas ballot measures
The Kansas Attorney General has authority over discipline of campaign finance law violations if it involves criminal laws or other matters that are not specified in the jurisdiction of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. The first step in filing a complaint is to file with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. It is up to the KGEC to determine the validity of a complaint before beginning any investigation[2].
Divisions
Each of the seven divisions which compose the Office of the Attorney General is charged with performing a different set of duties.
- Civil Litigation Division
- Consumer Protection Division
- Criminal Litigation Division
- Kansas Bureau of Investigation
- Legal Opinions and Government Counsel Division
- Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division
- Victims' Services Division
Compensation
The Attorney General is guaranteed compensation under Article 1, Section 13 of the Kansas Constitution
In 2011, the Attorney General received compensation in the amount of $98,901. [4]
Contact Information
Capitol Address:
Kansas Attorney General Steve Six
Memorial Hall, 2nd Floor
120 Southwest 10th Street
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: (785) 296-2215
Toll Free Phone: (888) 428-8436
Fax: (785) 296-6296
E-mail: general@ksag.org
See also
- Governor of Kansas
- Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
- Kansas Secretary of State
- Stephen Six, Former Attorney General of Kansas
External links
References
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Kansas Election Standards (Chapter IV: Candidates, p. IV-11)," retrieved January 27, 2012
- ↑ "Kansas GEC" Kansas Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 25-4161 (a)-(e))
- ↑ Office of the AG, "Divisions," accessed January 31, 2012
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of States 2011- Table 4.11", accessed February 2, 2012
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State of Kansas Topeka (capital) |
|---|---|
| Ballot Measures |
List of Kansas ballot measures | Local ballot measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | Campaign Finance Requirements | Recall process | |
| Government |
Kansas State Constitution | House of Representatives | Senate | Governmental Ethics Commission | Legislative Post-Auditor | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Treasurer | Commissioner of Education | Commissioner of Insurance | Secretary of Agriculture | Secretary of Wildlife and Parks | Secretary of Labor | Corporation Commission | |
| Judiciary |
Kansas Supreme Court | Court of Appeals | District Courts | Judicial Activists | Judicial selection | Judicial News | |
| Transparency Topics |
Open Records Act | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of School Districts | |
