The Office of Revisor of Statutes was created by the 1929 Kansas Legislature. The original duties of the office included statutory revision, legislative bill drafting and legislative research.
The statute creating the Office of Revisor of Statutes was brought about by the activities of the Kansas State Bar Association at its annual meeting in 1924. At that time, lawyers in Kansas were keenly aware of the need for continuous statutory revision and felt that the 1923 general statutory revision would constitute an excellent starting point for continuous revision. Prior to 1923, there had not been a general revision of the Kansas statutes since 1868.
The statute governing the Office of Revisor of Statutes today was enacted in 1971 and is codified at K.S.A. 46-1211. The statute provides that the Revisor of Statutes is appointed by, and serves under the direction of, the Legislative Coordinating Council. The Revisor may appoint assistant Revisors of Statutes as authorized by the Legislative Coordinating Council.
The Office of Revisor of Statutes is responsible for: Drafting bills, resolutions and other legislative documents; providing legal consultation for members of the legislature and legislative committees; conducting legal research; supervising revisions and compilations of the general laws of Kansas; preparing and publishing the Kansas Statutes Annotated and cumulative supplements thereto; recommending to legislative committees such bills that will update or clarify existing laws; and performing other duties as provided by law and as directed by the Legislative Coordinating Council.
The Office of Revisor of Statutes provides staff members to attend meetings of all special committees, select committees and standing committees. The Office of Revisor of Statutes provides legislative legal consultation and bill drafting services and assists in legislative procedural matters as may be needed.
Much of the information relating to the early history of the Office of Revisor of Statutes was taken from The Establishment and Operation of the Office of Revisor of Statutes in Kansas, by Franklin Corrick, which was printed in the April 1938 issue of the Missouri Bar Journal.