Trans athlete bill won’t be veto-proof

Kansas conservatives appeared likely Friday to push a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girl’s and women’s school sports through the Republican-controlled Legislature but weren’t generating enough support to overcome a possible veto by the state’s Democratic governor.

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April 9, 2021 - 10:03 AM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas conservatives appeared likely Friday to push a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girl’s and women’s school sports through the Republican-controlled Legislature but weren’t generating enough support to overcome a possible veto by the state’s Democratic governor.

The House approved the bill late Thursday, 76-43. The Senate was expected to follow sometime Friday and send the measure to Gov. Laura Kelly.

The Democratic governor typically does not say what she’ll do with legislation before it reaches her desk, but she has dropped strong hints that she plans to veto such a ban. She’s a supporter of LGBTQ rights, and she’s called the bill “regressive” and suggested it would hurt the state’s efforts to recruit businesses — an argument critics echoed during the House’s debate.

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