Kansas Week 9: anti-abortion bill passes, DUI arrest, legislators take loopholes, & more 🚨
Video Script
Intro
Hey I’m Davis Hammet with Loud Light! Here’s what happened the 9th week inside the Kansas Statehouse.
Voter Suppression Fails (SB365)
A bill that would have eliminated the three day ballot protection period failed in the Senate after several amendments making it harder for Kansans to vote such as abolishing drop boxes were added. Sen. Mark Steffen amended the bill to require hand counting to decide elections which would require massive labor investments from counties, are known to be inaccurate, and cause significant election result delays. The amendments were so extreme that Senate President Ty Masterson passed on his vote and encouraged other legislators to vote against the amendment in order to save the original bill. The bill failed 18-22 in the Senate.
Legislator Arrested
Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee Representative Carl Maughan was arrested for possession of a gun while driving under the influence this past weekend. The Representative was arrested and booked in Shawnee County early Monday and was released on bail. Maughan now joins numerous legislators in recent years who have been arrested for a DUI during the legislative session and refused to resign from office.
Anti-Abortion (HB2749)
Kansans for Life’s intrusive abortion reporting bill is making its way through the Kansas legislature. The bill, carried by Chair Brenda Landwehr, requires abortion providers to ask a list of non-medical questions in an attempt to “make sure [legislators are] making the right choice for these women”. Legislators continue to disregard the August 2022 election where Kansans overwhelmingly voted to block legislators from infringing on the constitutional right to abortion.
Gender Affirming Care Advances (SB233)
Despite hundreds of Kansans showing up and every major medical association in opposition, the House Health and Human Services Committee passed a bill that bans access to both medical and non-medical gender affirming care for transgender youth, threatens Kansas medical professionals, and violates parents rights. Chair Landwehr has received numerous criticisms for shutting down opponents while giving testimony, the lack of transparency in the legislative process, and for giving preferential treatment to bill proponents who promote incorrect medical information that is widely debunked. If the House passes the bill the Senate cannot amend it and may only vote yes or no because Chair Landwehr used the controversial gut-and-go procedure to insert the bill language into a different bill that has already passed the Senate.
Gun Bill (HB2803)
Barely a month after a mass shooting at the Super Bowl Parade that left a Johnson county woman dead, Kansas lawmakers held a hearing on a bill similar to Missouri’s “Second Amendment Protection Act”. The bill would block using any state resources to enforce federal gun regulations. Missouri’s version of the law has already been struck down in federal courts and the bill faced intense opposition. Every major law enforcement department in the state testified against the bill due to vague language restricting their ability to seize guns and work with the federal government on operations.
Coming Up
We are 2/3rds of the way through session now and usually that means fewer proposals are alive, but this week made clear that the historic norms of the legislative process and calendar are irrelevant. Monday the League of Women Voters is hosting an advocacy day on voting rights. Follow us on social media for updates throughout the week so you can stay on top of the legislature. Stay tuned, stay engaged, and until next time, thank you so much Kansas!