The Kansas State Constitution

by Heller, Francis H.

• ISBN13: 9780313265105
• ISBN10: 0313265100
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1992-10-30
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

This is the first book-length study of the constitution of the state of Kansas. Following the pattern of earlier volumes in Greenwood's State Constitution Series, Professor Heller relates and analyzes the basic law of Kansas, gives the full text of the constitution with an article-by-article and section-by-section commentary, and provides a bibliographical essay and a table of cases, along with a general index. His account of populist and progressive successes (and failures) will be of interest to students, scholars, and any others dealing with the law, politics, and history of this important middle state that has contributed much to the mosaic of our nation's institutions. Formally, Kansas still operates under a constitution dating from 1959. In fact, however, its present day basic law differs importantly from the original text--and this change was accomplished without resorting to a convention to rewrite the document. This process of "incremental revision" has never before been described in detail. It resulted, over the span of less than five years, in the streamlining of the executive branch, the creation of a unified judiciary, enhancement of the position of the legislature, and the removal from the constitution of a number of antiquated provisions--more than many other states have been able to do by the convention method.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword by G. Alan Tarr

Foreword by Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum

The Constitutional History of Kansas

First Efforts to Write a Constitution

The Wyandotte Constitution

Sources of the Wyandotte Constitution

Last Steps on the Road to Statehood

Adapting the Constitution

The Political Climate of the New State

Correcting Errors: The First Two Amendments

Suffrage and Elections

The Executive Branch

The Legislative Branch

The Judicial Branch

Local Government

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Prohibition

Taxation

Corporations

Highways and Public Works

Welfare

Labor

Summary Observations

Wholesale Revision by the Incremental Method

Post-1974 Amendments

The Kansas Constitution and Commentary

Articles

Executive

Legislative

Judiciary

Elections

Suffrage

Education

Public Institutions and Welfare

Militia

County and Township Organization

Apportionment of the Legislature

Finance and Taxation

Corporations

Banks

Constitutional Amendment and Revision

Miscellaneous

Index