Terms Used In Kansas Statutes > Chapter 75 > Article 37

• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Benefit fund: means the moneys and other assets available:

  (1) To provide property, services or entertainment for persons in a state institution or in the legal custody of the secretary of corrections;

  (2) to provide incentives for program and work participation and performance and other activities related to offender management for persons in the legal custody of the secretary of corrections; or

  (3) for other purposes that benefit persons in a state institution or in the legal custody of the secretary of corrections. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e

• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Canteen: means a retail store which offers for sale items of necessity, comfort and morale which otherwise are not accessible to persons in the environment of a state institution. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e
• Canteen fund: means the moneys and other assets used for operation of a canteen. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: is a pplied to an instrument conveying lands but does not imply a sealed instrument. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. ^{Source: OCC}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• General election: refers to the election required to be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Oath: includes an affirmation in all cases where an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in similar cases "swear" includes affirm. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, evidences of debt and things in action, and digital assets as defined in the revised uniform fiduciary access to digital assets act, K. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Property: includes personal and real property. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• real property: include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights to them and interest in them, equitable as well as legal. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• road: include public bridges and may be construed to be equivalent to "county way" "county road" "common road" "state road" and "territorial road. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• seal: includes an impression of the seal upon the paper alone, as well as upon wax or a wafer affixed to the paper. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• State agency: means any state office or officer, department, board, commission, institution, bureau or any other state authority which may lawfully request a state appropriation. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728a
• State institution: means :

  (1) Any institution as defined by K. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e

• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Work therapy fund: means the moneys and other assets used to operate a work therapy project for persons in a state institution. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e
• Work therapy project: means a sheltered workshop or other similar vocational training activity provided by a state institution, whether on or off campus. See Kansas Statutes 75-3728e