April 1-5, 2024

Mainstream Messenger: #KSLeg Week 13 Recap

Defending Kansans’ Rights During Conference Committee Week

Congratulations on surviving another conference committee week with the #KSLeg! The dust has settled a bit and we now have a proposed budget, a new tax plan, and a whole lot of bad bills heading to the Governor’s desk after a very long week in the legislature. In case you weren’t one of those who stayed up until 2:30 with our House Reps on Saturday morning, here’s where we landed on bills threatening the separation of religion and government, and how you can help stop bad legislation before the legislature returns for veto session on April 25.

• LGBTQ+ Equality: 
  • SB233 –Enacting the so-called "forbidding abuse child transitions act." This bill passed weeks ago and is now sitting on the Governor’s desk for a signature or veto. Mainstream opposes this omnibus attack bill legalizing discrimination, penalizing healthcare professionals, and stripping Kansans' constitutional right to bodily autonomy.​ 
  • TAKE ACTION: Sign up for a phone bank. We’re working with our partner Equality KS, ACLU of Kansas, KIFA, and Loud Light on LGBTQ+ defense phone banks where we’ll be calling constituents in key districts and asking them to contact their legislators to support LGBTQ+ rights. This event will include training on how to phone bank and a recap summarizing our efforts and future opportunities. Mainstream is hosting the April 9 phone bank, but if you can’t join us that night you can sign up for others here.
• Reproductive Rights
  • HB2749 – Requiring medical care facilities and providers to report the reasons for each abortion. This bill passed and is with the Governor for a signature or veto. Mainstream opposes this invasive attempt to undermine access to safe and legal abortions. 
  • HB2436 – Creating the crime of coercion to obtain an abortion and providing enhanced criminal penalties for offenses committed with the intent to coerce a woman to obtain an abortion. This bill passed without the amendment to expand to include reproductive coercion and is with the Governor for a signature or veto. Mainstream supports protection against coercion, but opposes this bill because the amendment to expand to all reproductive coercion was not included.
  • HB2465 – bundled bill that included SB498: Establishing a tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities. Other items include an adoption tax credit and adoption savings account. This bill passed and is with the Governor for a signature or veto. Mainstream opposes this targeted government support for pregnancy centers that are known to impose religious doctrine and coerce patients who are seeking an abortion.
  • SB28 – the budget bill – includes a line item of $2 million for the so-called Pregnancy Compassion Program from HB2789 which did not pass out of committee. This bill passed and is with the Governor for a signature or veto. Mainstream opposes this targeted government support for pregnancy centers that are known to impose religious doctrine and coerce patients who are seeking an abortion.
  • SB232 – contains HB2653: Providing for child support orders for unborn children from the date of conception which passed the House but did not receive a vote in the Senate.  Mainstream opposes furthering fetal personhood into Kansas statute.
  • TAKE ACTION: Sign up for a phone bank! We’re working with our partners Loud Light Civic Action, Trust Women, URGE, and Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes on phone banks where we’ll be calling constituents in key districts and asking them to contact their legislators to protect reproductive health care. This event will include training on how to phone bank, and a recap summarizing our efforts and future opportunities. The first phone bank is TONIGHT with several options to participate. You can sign up for others here.
• Public Education
  
  • SB387 - Making appropriations for the department of education for FY 24, FY 25 and FY 26 and enacting, revising and abolishing certain statutes relating to the educational system. After failing in the Senate last week, the Education Conference Committee presented a new version with a better approach toward Special Education (SPED) funding and does not include vouchers. The legislature will take a vote once they return on April 25. 

Visit Mainstream's new #KSLeg Action dashboard to see where we are with the active bills we're following. 

We'll continue to monitor proposals that could impact public education funding, reproductive health care, and LGBTQ+ equality once the legislature returns, and we'll let you know when your legislator needs to hear from YOU to stop dangerous bills.