By: Morgan Chilson
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate overrode Gov Laura Kelly’s veto on Tuesday, putting the state one step closer to forcing people to use bathrooms in government buildings that match their biological sex at birth.
Senate Substitute for House Bill 244 was overturned by the Senate, with votes falling along party lines.
As the vote was finalized in the Senate, Rabbi Moti Rieber shouted in anger from the gallery.
“First they came for the trans people, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t trans,” he yelled.
Rieber was referring to a well-known writing by a German minister after the Holocaust.
As he was escorted out, Rieber continued to shout, telling the Senate, “Shame on you.”
Sen. Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said the bill is the result of a “culture war” and does not serve Kansans well.
“Issues like this bill make us a less attractive place for businesses to relocate and start,” she said. “We are poised to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in just over 100 days. The World Cup is supposed to bring millions of dollars to our region, and we should not be putting that economic impact at risk by playing political games in fighting culture wars.”
Sykes yielded to Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overand Park, taking away the chance for Republicans to “call the question,” a term that would stop debate and put the bill directly to a vote.
Someone from the Republican side of the Senate called the question after Sykes began talking, but Senate President Ty Masterson said she could continue.
Holscher challenged the Republican-led majority to show evidence that sexual assaults occur in bathrooms by trans people. She quoted various studies to back up her calculations that Kansans have a .00083% chance of being assaulted by a trans person in a restroom.
“You are eight times more likely to get struck by lightning,” Holscher said. “You’re 50 times more likely to die in a car crash, you’re 100 times more likely to be killed by gun violence, and you are 3,500 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by a man.”
Sens. Pat Pettey, D-Kansas City, and David Haley, D-Kansas City, both Democrats from Wyandotte County that will host the World Cup, said they are concerned about economic development impacts.
“This body continues to debate and pass legislation that places a heavy financial burden on our communities without providing them with additional resources,” Pettey said. “We are hosting the World Cup this summer. We are being put in a global spotlight. The Kansas Legislature should be focused on job creation, strengthening our workforce and attracting and retaining top talent. Where one goes to the bathroom does not grow our economy.”
Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood, closed the short debate expressing concerns about children seeing someone of the opposite sex in the bathroom or locker room.
“That’s what this bill is about. It’s not about economic impact,” she said.
In a statement, Senate President Ty Masterson said the Senate “restored sanity” in overturning Kelly’s veto.
“Kansas Democrats are for They/Them,” he said.
After the veto was overturned, Rieber expressed his frustration at the danger he believes the bill creates for trans people. He referred to a section of the bill that requires all gender markers on driver’s licenses and birth certificates to match a person’s biological sex at birth.
“This bill is gratuitous. This bill is absolutely unnecessary,” he said. “Think about when you take out your driver’s license — at the liquor store, when you’re cashing a check, voting, if a cop pulls you over. You’re outing yourself every time somebody sees your driver’s license. It’s very dangerous for trans people to be outed, and we’re putting them at risk.”