A pair of highly debated pieces of legislation were vetoed Friday by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.
Those bills included SB 58 also known as the Parents Bill of Rights and SB 160 known as the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The Parent’s Bill of Rights would have allowed parents to inspect and challenge any and all curriculum or teaching materials they believed to be objectional in a classroom while the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act would bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, both at the school and higher education levels.
In regards to her veto of the Parents Bill of Rights, Governor Kelly stated her belief that parents should have a high level of engagement in their children’s education. However; she went on to say that the bill is not about parents but rather politics.
It is the governor’s belief the bill would create more division in schools and result in money that should be “spent in the classroom being spent in courtrooms.”
On the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, Governor Kelly stated the legislation did not come from experts, athletes or even the Kansas State High School Activities Association but from “politicians trying to score political points.” The governor went on to state, “This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses. It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.”
Senate President Ty Masterson responded to the governor’s actions by saying, “the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is about just that, fairness. It simply sets guidelines that ensure the fair playing field continues for women that we have recognized for decades.”
Masterson would respond to the governor’s veto of the Parents Bill of Rights by saying she is choosing “secrecy over transparency” and thus “indicating she believes parents are the enemy and that schools have the right to hide what they are teaching our children.”
Masterson concluded his remarks by saying the Senate is planning to hold override votes when the legislature reconvenes for the annual veto session later this month.
