Transgender care, abortion, plastic bags and more: Your guide to Kansas Gov. Kelly’s 2024 vetoes

Takeaways:

• Kansas Republicans have a supermajority and could override every veto on a party line vote
• Not every bill has a clear chance to become law
• Bills that survive a veto override will likely do so by a few votes

Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of bills that would restrict gender-affirming care for children and abortion rights are setting up override votes that will test the unity of conservatives in the Legislature.

One part of the Kansas legislative session ended in the early morning hours of April 6. Legislators take a break of a few weeks so the governor can veto bills or sign them into law.  Then they return to Topeka April 25 to try and override those vetoes.

An override needs 84 votes in the House and 27 in the Senate. The Beacon will keep updating this article as new vetoes stack up.

Gender-affirming care ban

Kansas Republicans passed a ban on puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgery for transgender youth.

Republicans argue transgender kids don’t appreciate the consequences of gender-affirming care and say the medical treatment is ineffective. Democrats counter that research shows that kind of care improves a transgender child’s mental health and lowers the likelihood of suicide.

The bill passed 82-39 in the House and 27-13 in the Senate. As it currently stands, the House is two votes short of a veto override, but four lawmakers missed the original vote. Republicans appear to have the votes needed to override Kelly’s veto and impose the ban. Yet the bill dies if even one vote flips in Democrats’ favor.

Laura Kelly veto on abortion bills

A pair of bills related to abortion were vetoed.

One bill would require abortion providers to ask why someone was getting an abortion. Republicans said the survey is optional and provides valuable information. Kelly said the questions are intrusive.

That bill passed 81-39 in the House and 27-13 in the Senate. The House is three votes short of an override, but five lawmakers missed the original vote, including three Republicans.

The second bill criminalizes abortion coercion . That makes it illegal to try to force someone to get an abortion through physical or financial threat. Withholding key documents, like passports, also qualifies.

Kelly vetoed the bill, saying extortion is already illegal. She also said the bill is too vague and could criminalize people who “are being confided in by their loved ones or simply sharing their expertise as a health care provider.”

The bill passed 82-37 in the House and 27-11 in the Senate. The House is two votes short but six lawmakers didn’t cast a vote the first time around.

Plastic bag ban gets Laura Kelly veto

Cities and counties couldn’t ban single-use plastics under this bill . Supporters said a growing patchwork of laws makes it harder for some businesses to operate when the bans exist in some cities but not everywhere in the state.

Opponents of the bill said the choices should be left to local officials.

The bill passed the House 72-51 and 24-16 in the Senate. Neither chamber currently has the votes to override the veto.

Government oversight

This bill requires any new proposed rule or regulation to get a budget assessment to see if it will cost the state more than $1 million in five years. Expensive rules and regulations are then taken to the Legislature for a vote. Those rules may otherwise be passed by state department heads without getting passed into law.

The bill was pitched as a way to keep the government spending in check. Rep. Barb Wasinger, a Hays Republican, said the Department of Wildlife and Parks almost eliminated deer hunting season one year. The agency said the regulation would have no cost, but Wasinger said the lack of hunting season would definitely cost the state.

Opponents of the bill say regulations can be both expensive and necessary to protect people. Some laws also create a gray area where department officials need to make clarifying enforcement rules.

The bill passed 82-36 in the House and 27-13 in the Senate. Seven lawmakers missed the vote in the House.

Hair sugaring

Kansas lawmakers want to remove licensing requirements for sugaring .

Sugaring removes body hair. It’s when someone mixes water, sugar and lemons to create a room-temperature paste. To start a business doing this, someone must pay for and take thousands of hours to become a licensed cosmetologist. Sugaring is a very small part of that training.

Kelly vetoed the bill saying deregulating this industry could lead to safety and sanitation concerns.

The bill passed 71-52 in the House and 38-1 in the Senate. Two representatives missed the House vote, but the bill is still well short of the minimum threshold.

The post Transgender care, abortion, plastic bags and more: Your guide to Kansas Gov. Kelly’s 2024 vetoes appeared first on The Beacon .