9 March 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas lawmakers have advanced a bill banning all gender-affirming care for minors. The House Health committee approved the bill on Thursday, and are on target to fast-track it through the Senate.
However, the bill could await a veto from the state’s democratic governor. Nexstar’s Kansas Capitol Bureau spoke with Democratic Governor Laura Kelly about the plan on Friday.
“This is not the first time they’ve passed that bill out… and I think you can look back in history and see how I’ve responded in the past, and I really haven’t changed my position,” Kelly said.
The governor has vetoed similar legislation in the past.
During the committee meeting on Thursday, Republicans made several changes to the House bill, including making a motion to substitute its contents into a similar bill that passed the Senate last year. That means, if the House passes the bill, the Senate will only have to concur instead of scheduling it for a hearing.
In addition to banning doctors from providing gender transition treatments to minors, the bill would also allow for a “civil cause of action” against doctors providing treatments. Under the plan, doctors could also lose their license, if they perform any treatments listed in the bill.
The bill will head to the House floor for a vote. If it passes both chambers, it will be sent to the governor’s desk. If she vetoes the plan, the House will need 84 votes to override a veto, and the Senate will need 27 votes.
To watch the full House Health committee meeting, click here.
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