Friday, December 7, 2012

Records show incoming Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick pocketed more than $14,000 from campaign contributions at the end of 2011 as a reimbursement for a decade of communications expenses.

Merrick spent a decade in the House, was appointed to the Senate in 2010 and returned to the House this year. State law prohibits candidates who raised money for one office from transferring the funds to a campaign for another office.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Stilwell Republican reported reimbursing himself for telephone, cell phone, fax and Internet service expenses from Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 31, 2010. The money came from Merrick's dormant House campaign fund when he was in the Senate.