Under Kansas law, thousands of people who work for and with the state are required each year to file what is called a Statement of Substantial Interest.

Generally, those filing include elected officeholders and candidates, appointed officials, employees involved with purchasing, regulating, licensing, policymaking and legal work, and many faculty members.

The forms require information on ownership interests, gifts and honoraria, places of employment and names of clients and customers.

A recent story by the Lawrence Journal-World used this Statement of Substantial Interest filing to report that Secretary of State Kris Kobach received pay from 10 private clients over the previous year. The law doesn’t require reporting the exact amount received, only that it was more than $2,000.

We’ve included examples of Statement of Substantial Interest reports that can be found online – including those from Gov. Sam Brownback, Kobach, and members of Lawrence’s statehouse delegation – and a link for you to do your own searching of these records (password required).