Kansas SB 180

Kansas SB 180[1] or the Kansas Women's Bill of Rights is a bill that bans any identification of a gender other than the gender assigned at birth in the US state of Kansas, despite federal recognition of transgender people.[2] The current governor of Kansas, Laura Kelly, vetoed the bill in April 2023.[3] On April 26th and 27th, the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives voted to override the veto making the bill law.

Kansas Senate Bill 180
Kansas Legislature
Enacted byKansas Senate
Enacted byKansas House of Representatives
Vetoed byGovernor Laura Kelly
Vetoed20 April 2023
Veto overridden27 April 2023
Legislative history
First chamber: Kansas Senate
PassedFebruary 9, 2023
Voting summary
  • 28 voted for
  • 12 voted against
Second chamber: Kansas House of Representatives
PassedFebruary 23, 2023
Voting summary
  • 83 voted for
  • 41 voted against
Final stages
Reconsidered by the Kansas Senate after vetoApril 26, 2023
Voting summary
  • 28 voted for
  • 12 voted against
Reconsidered by the Kansas House of Representatives after vetoApril 27, 2023
Voting summary
  • 84 voted for
  • 40 voted against
  • 1 absent
Status: Current legislation

Bill

The bill was originally introduced in the Kansas Senate by Republican Renee Erickson in February 2023, and is sponsored by the Committee on Public Health and Welfare. It received final passage with amendments on April 4, 2023. It defines a "female" as a person "whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova", and a "male" as a person "whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female".[1] Its proponents state that gender identity and biological sex should be defined in law, with the need for specific sex spaces excluding trans people.[4] The bill is controversial for excluding intersex people, such as those with ambiguous genitalia, with both male or female reproductive organs, or women born without ovaries.[4]

Despite the fact that the federal government recognizes gender transition on documents including passports and birth certificates[2] and in housing, the bill restricts agencies in Kansas, both public and private, from assigning any gender other than that assigned at birth.[5] It has been criticized as removing human right and legal rights from trans people in the state.[4][6]

Testimony

During the hearing of Kansas SB 180, proponents' testimony stated a need to legally define biological sex specifically for purposes of sex segregation, and also stated that the bill is consistent with federal protections for transgender people.[7] Opposition testimony stated that the bill employs outdated, inaccurate, and underinclusive definitions of sex and families, as well as excluding intersex people.[8]

Veto

On April 20, 2023, Governor Kelly vetoed the bill, stating that it threatens economic development in Kansas and would leave the state open to lawsuits alleging discrimination. The Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives, Dan Hawkins, criticized the governor's veto as taking the side of "left-wing activists".[3] According to the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, if it became law and was inconsistent with federal law, the bill could endanger over $17 million in federal funding to the state.[9]

Veto overridden

On April 26, 2023, the Kansas Senate voted to override the veto, with the Kansas House of Representatives also voting to override the veto on April 27, 2023. This actions made the bill a law.[10]

See also

References
  1. "SB 180 | Bills and Resolutions". Kansas State Legislature. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  2. "Text - H.Res.1209 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender and nonbinary people under the law and ensure their access to medical care, shelter, safety, and economic security". U. S. Congress.
  3. Andrew Bahl (April 20, 2023). "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly rejects transgender bathroom bill, gender-affirming care ban". Topeka Capital-Journal – via Yahoo News.
  4. Rachel Mipro; Sherman Smith (February 15, 2023). "Critics call proposed Kansas 'women's bill of rights' sexist, transphobic". Kansas Reflector.
  5. Jason Tidd; Andrew Bahl (February 27, 2023). "Here's where four major issues stand after Kansas Legislature's busiest day of the session". Topeka Capital-Journal.
  6. Katie Bernard; Jenna Barackman (February 13, 2023). "KS bills ban gender-affirming care and bar trans women from female designated spaces". Kansas City Star.
  7. Jennifer Braceras (February 15, 2023). "IWLC Supports Kansas Senate Bill 180" (PDF). Kansas State Legislature.
  8. Tammy Quayle (February 15, 2023). "Oral and Written Opposition Testimony regarding SB 180" (PDF). Kansas State Legislature.
  9. "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly rejects transgender bathroom bill, gender-affirming care ban". The Topeka Capital-Journal.
  10. Mipro, Rachel (2023-04-27). "Trans Kansas women barred from women's bathrooms, female-only spaces under new law". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
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