TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a controversial measure regulating bathroom use and identification documents, enacting the so-called “bathroom bill” into law despite sharp opposition from Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates.
The Kansas House voted 87-37 on Wednesday to override Kelly’s veto of House Substitute for Senate Bill 244. The Senate voted 31-9 a day earlier to override. The successful votes give the measure enough support to take effect over the Democratic governor’s objections.
Kelly vetoed the bill on Feb. 13, calling it “poorly drafted” and warning it would have significant consequences for Kansans and state and local governments.
“As I said in my veto statement, this is a poorly drafted bill with significant, far-reaching consequences,” Kelly said in a statement Feb. 18. “Not only will this bill keep brothers from visiting sisters’ dorms and husbands from wives’ shared hospital rooms, it will cost Kansas taxpayers millions of dollars to comply with this very vague legislation.”
She added that lawmakers were focusing on a “manufactured problem” rather than issues such as education, job creation, housing and grocery costs.
Under SB 244, Kansans would be required to list their biological sex on driver’s licenses and use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex.
Republican leaders defended the measure as necessary to protect women and girls. In a Feb. 18 news release, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Sedgwick County, criticized Kelly’s veto message.
“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,” Hawkins said. “Kansans expect clarity, not confusion. They expect leadership, not surrender to radical activists. Today, the legislature made it clear: reality will always override ideology.”
Democrats in both chambers voiced strong opposition during hours of debate when lawmakers initially passed the bill Jan. 28. The House approved it 87-36 and the Senate 30-9 before sending it to the governor Feb. 3.
Advocacy groups also condemned the override. Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson accused lawmakers of prioritizing “cruelty” over constituents’ needs.
“Forcing people into the wrong bathrooms, stripping them of accurate IDs, and allowing government-sanctioned harassment doesn’t make anyone safer — it targets transgender Kansans for no reason and will undoubtedly impact many others,” Robinson said in a statement. “This was sadly politics over people, but we will keep fighting for dignity and freedom for all LGBTQ+ people.”
Demonstrators gathered at the Kansas Statehouse on Feb. 7 to protest the legislation before the override votes.
With the veto override complete, SB 244 will become law, marking the latest in a series of measures across the country addressing transgender rights and access to public facilities.