By Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA – House Speaker Dan Hawkins banned reporting from the House chamber floor in new rules issued ahead of the legislative session, breaking from historical precedent.
The rule change, which is consistent with one imposed by Senate President Ty Masterson three years ago, restricts reporters’ access to the legislative process and action that can be observed and heard only from the floor. Previously, reporters were given access to a small area in a corner of the chamber. Now, reporters will be relegated to the public galley overlooking the chamber.
The rule provides limited access for photography, from angles that feature the back of legislators’ heads.
Hawkins’ spokeswoman didn’t respond to questions about the rule change before this story first appeared online at kansasreflector.com, but she said in a phone call Monday that the decision was based on “congestion” in the area previously designated for reporters.
In a brief encounter at the Statehouse entrance Monday, Hawkins and his chief of staff said the new rule doesn’t limit reporting because journalists can still take photos from the back wall and sides of the chamber, and can report from the gallery above. Hawkins said journalists must think they are more important than the people who sit in the gallery.
“Reporters having access to the debate and proceedings in real-time makes reporting more accurate and transparent,” said Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association. “The press serves a vital function in our system of government. We’re more than mere spectators. We’re a surrogate for citizens who don’t have the time to witness the inner workings of the Legislature. To limit our access, you’re limiting the access of those who rely on us to cover the news.”
The decision surprised new House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard (D-Lenexa) who said freedom of the press is “at the core of democracy.”
“Limiting journalists’ access to the very people elected to make laws for Kansans is troubling,” Woodard said. “In a legislature that works for the people of Kansas, we must protect the free press and strengthen those relationships so they can best report the decisions being made on behalf of the state. The press is here to shine a light on what is happening under the dome – they belong on the House floor alongside our lawmakers.”
Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, and Masterson, an Andover Republican, have a track record of complaining about journalists.
Last year, Hawkins blocked a bipartisan resolution that would have declared support for the freedom of the press in light of the unconstitutional police raid on the Marion County Record.
In a public appearance on May 21, 2024, in Salina, Hawkins falsely claimed that the press will print anything Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wants while refusing to give him a voice.
“So the governor can go out and say whatever she wants,” Hawkins said. “We can rebut it, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to print it, and they don’t. They don’t print it. So we have to do it by getting it out on Facebook, getting it out through newsletters.”
During an April 4, 2024, debate over tax policy, Hawkins complained that the press “always use the most salacious headline that they can get.”
Masterson in a Sept. 21, 2023, news conference complained about the way news media covers various topics.
“You don’t always get accurate information coming through the general flows of information, through this standard sources of media,” Masterson said.
In a Aug. 22, 2023, summit on child welfare, Masterson claimed the media had used foster care “as a political football.”
Masterson banished reporters from the Senate chamber floor in January 2022 alongside his Republican counterpart in Iowa. At the time, Masterson’s spokesman, Mike Pirner, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that the decision was based on the increasing ranks of journalists.
Pirner responded to questions for this story by saying the continued decision to ban reporting from the floor is about providing more space for Senate staff.
“The primary reason we’ve kept the policy in place is that the table where press was in the past is frequently occupied by staff – either leadership staff, research, revisors and the like, and there are only five chairs,” Pirner said. “There is simply limited space now to have essentially workstations for print/internet press, especially now that the Senate is continuously live-streamed.”
Pirner also said reporters would be allowed on the floor when the gallery is full.
As in the House, the Senate rules allow limited floor access for photography from a small space in the back of the chamber. The rules discourage notetaking for reporters who want to take photos from the floor.
Payton Lacey, spokeswoman for Hawkins, sent the revised rules to reporters on Friday, along with a note to “review this document carefully as there have been significant changes made compared to past sessions’ rules.”
The rule states: “During session, members of the media should remain in the East Gallery for reporting, to take pictures, and video, unless stationed along the North, East, and/or South walls of the Chamber to take photographs only. No media is allowed on the West side of the Chambers while the House is in session, which includes the Staff Desk area. TV and regular cameras can be stationed along the back (East) wall or in the East Gallery only.”
Hawkins’ staff had told reporters in early December that they were considering the change. Hawkins banned reporters from the floor during Dec. 2 votes on leadership, although he allowed some non-journalists, including faith leader Dave DePue, to wander the chamber.
