Kansas approves transgender sports ban, but governor's veto looms

A ban on transgender girls and women competing in female school sports in Kansas was approved early Saturday by conservative legislators but didn’t appear to have enough support to override the Democratic governor’s almost certain veto.

The state House approved the measure, 74-39, leaving supporters 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority necessary to overturn a veto from Gov. Laura Kelly. While a dozen of the House's 125 members were absent, at least five were likely to vote no.

The Senate passed the bill, 25-13, sending it to Kelly. But supporters were two votes short of a two-thirds Senate majority, and two Republicans who were absent have split over the proposal in the past.

Republicans nationwide have pushed the issue, framing it as fairness in competition and access to scholarships to appeal to a broad swath of voters. At least 12 other states have enacted such laws, including Arizona and Oklahoma this week.

In Kansas, the proposal was part of a larger agenda for conservatives who lead the Republican-controlled legislature, with Kelly facing a tough re-election race this year. Conservatives advanced a measure to respond to concerns about what’s taught in public schools by making it easier for parents to try to remove materials from classrooms and libraries, and they also sought to tighten election laws.

Kansas state Reps. Brandon Woodard, left, D-Lenexa; Stephanie Clayton, center, D-Overland Park, and House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, right, D-Wichita, confer during a debate on a bill barring transgender athletes from competing in female school sports, Friday, April 1, 2022, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. All three oppose the measure, but it has enough support in the Republican-controlled Legislature to