By: Morgan Chilson
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansans will soon be required to use the bathroom of their biological sex at birth in all government buildings after the House joined the Senate Wednesday to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.
House Substitute for Senate Bill 244 will go into effect immediately after paperwork is filed at the Secretary of State’s office. Along with the public facilities regulations, the bill requires Kansans to use the gender marker of their biological sex at birth on their driver’s licenses and birth certificates. It invalidates documents that were issued to transgender people previously.
The House vote was 87 to 37, with Republican Rep. Mark Schreiber joining all Democrats present in opposing the bill. It passed the Senate on Tuesday.
Kelly said in a statement after her veto was overridden that the bill was poorly drafted and will cost taxpayers millions of dollars to comply.
“It is nothing short of ridiculous that the Legislature is forcing the entire state, every city and town, every school district, every public university to spend taxpayer money on a manufactured problem,” she said. “Kansans elected them to focus on education, job creation, housing, and grocery costs.”
Just four Democratic opponents were able to debate the bill before Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, made a motion of the previous question, which means all debate stops and a vote is immediately taken.
Rep. Heather Meyer, an Overland Park Democrat, said the legislation was discriminatory and “paints a bullseye” on the backs of legislative colleagues who are trans women, including Rep. Abi Boatman, D-Wichita, and former representative Stephanie Byers, a Democrat from Wichita.
“I feel safer in a restroom with those representatives than I do or would with some people here, including women, and I’m not even joking about that,” she said.
Rep. Alexis Simmons, D-Topeka, said she took issue with a statement that the bill codifies societal norms.
“We used to also have a law that women were subjugated to pregnancy and marriage because that was considered the societal norm,” she said. “Societal norms also would have included slavery and Jim Crow and other horrific stains on our nation’s history.”
Rep. Lindsay Vaughn, D-Overland Park, said evidence shows that bills like SB 244 negatively impact the mental health of trans people and cause “hateful stereotypes.”
“Attempting to legislate away the rights of people who are different from you has played out in history time and again,” she said. “So I want to ask which side of history does this body want to be on today?”
After debate was shut down, many Democratic opponents used the one-minute opportunity to explain their vote to show support for trans people and their frustration with the bill.
Rep. Carolyn Caiharr, R-Edwardsville, supported the bill and voted to overturn the veto.
“Our young women deserve to have restrooms and locker rooms where they can undress without men in the room. This bill protects girls and women, the ones feminists used to claim to stand for,” she said.
Along with opposing the bill, several Democrats talked about the fact that debate was cut short Wednesday, and that the process allowed no public input on the bathroom restrictions.
“Statesmanship requires the willingness to listen to those you disagree with, to care when you are exhausted, and to respect when you are not willing to,” said Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. They deserve our protection, even if we don’t want to listen to them.”
Rep. Lynn Melton, D-Kansas City, said lawmakers were silenced during the debate on SB 244.
“Kansans want tax relief and affordability,” she said. “Fourteen voices were silenced today that represent thousands of people who deserve to be heard. Shame on this chamber.”
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said in a statement that SB 244 protects privacy and safety.
“While the Governor fearmongers and muddies the water with her misleading veto message, our position remains steady: This isn’t about scoring political points, but doing what’s right for women and girls across our communities,” he said. “Kansans expect clarity, not confusion.”
Advocacy groups joined in a written statement criticizing the passage of SB 244 and raising concerns about its effects.
“This discriminatory bill undermines our state’s strong constitutional protections against government overreach and persecution,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of ACLU of Kansas.
Michael Poppa, executive director of Mainstream Coalition, said the legislativesupermajority was targeting an already marginalized community.
“Kansas families are being crushed by rising housing and healthcare costs. Small businesses face workforce shortages,” he said. “Rural communities are losing hospitals and struggling with failing infrastructure. These are the issues that demand action.”
Other organizations included in the statement were Equality Kansas, Kansas Interfaith Action, Loud Light Civic Action and Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes.