| Kansas Senate Bill 180 | |
| Legislature: | Kansas Legislature |
| Enacted By: | Kansas Senate |
| Enacted By2: | Kansas House of Representatives |
| Vetoed By: | Governor Laura Kelly |
| Date Vetoed: | 20 April 2023 |
| Veto Overridden: | 27 April 2023 |
| Passed: | February 9, 2023 |
| Passed For: | 28 |
| Passed Against: | 12 |
| Passed2: | February 23, 2023 |
| Passed2 For: | 83 |
| Passed2 Against: | 41 |
| Date Reconsidered: | April 26, 2023 |
| Veto Override For: | 28 |
| Veto Override Against: | 12 |
| Date Reconsidered2: | April 27, 2023 |
| Veto Override2 For: | 84 |
| Veto Override2 Against: | 40 |
| Veto Override2 Absent: | 1 |
| Status: | current |
Kansas SB 180[1] or the Kansas Women's Bill of Rights is a bill that bans any identification of a gender other than the gender recognized at birth in the US state of Kansas.[2] Kansas governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill in April 2023.[3] On April 26th and 27th, the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives voted to override the veto, making the bill law.
The bill was originally introduced in the Kansas Senate by Republican Renee Erickson in February 2023, and is sponsored by the Committee on Public Health and Welfare. It received final passage with amendments on April 4, 2023. It defines a "female" as a person "whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova", and a "male" as a person "whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female".[1] Its proponents state that gender identity and biological sex should be defined in law, with the need for specific sex spaces excluding trans people. The bill is controversial for excluding intersex people, such as those with ambiguous genitalia, with both male or female reproductive organs, or women born without ovaries.[4]
Despite the fact that the federal government recognizes gender transition on documents including passports and birth certificates[2] and in housing, the bill restricts agencies in Kansas, both public and private, from assigning any gender other than that assigned at birth.[5] It has been criticized as removing human rights and legal rights from trans people in the state.[4] [6]
During the hearing of Kansas SB 180, proponents' testimony stated a need to legally define biological sex specifically for purposes of sex segregation, and also stated that the bill is consistent with federal protections for transgender people.[7] Opposition testimony stated that the bill employs outdated, inaccurate, and underinclusive definitions of sex and families, as well as excluding intersex people.[8]
On April 20, 2023, Governor Kelly vetoed the bill, stating that it threatens economic development in Kansas and would leave the state open to lawsuits alleging discrimination. The Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives, Dan Hawkins, criticized the governor's veto as taking the side of "left-wing activists".[3] According to the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, if it became law and was inconsistent with federal law, the bill could endanger over $17 million in federal funding to the state.[9]
On April 26, 2023, the Kansas Senate voted to override the veto, with the Kansas House of Representatives also voting to override the veto on April 27, 2023. This actions made the bill a law.[10]