Public policy advocacy is an extension of the heart of the Catholic Church. Initiated and guided by our Kansas Bishops, the Kansas Catholic Conference seeks public policies that reflect authentic Catholic thinking and priorities.
Click to join our ALERTS list.
QUICK REVIEW: THE 2024 KANSAS LEGISLATIVE
SESSION IN SUMMARY
1) More to come? The Legislature passed yet
another tax cut plan before adjourning. The governor is threatening yet another
veto. Legislators may be called back to Topeka for a Special Session.
2) While we can’t legally protect women from the
abortion industry, we can do more to help support women with unplanned
pregnancies. Good stuff happened there.
3) Legislative victories sometimes come by stopping stuff from
happening. We helped stop a lot of bad stuff!
THE KANSAS CULTURE OF LIFE TAX PACKAGE IS NOW LAW!
It took a lot of work and eventually a veto override, but HB 2465, the “Life Affirming Tax Package,” is a big deal for Kansas. Donations to Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC’s) and Maternity Homes can now qualify for a generous (70%) tax credit. PRC’s and Maternity Homes will no longer have to pay sales taxes on diapers, baby formula and other items they purchase for the benefit of moms and babies. Couples seeking to adopt will now get more financial help with tax credits for the expense of adoption. There is now a new tax-friendly Adoption Savings Account provision in Kansas law. Here is the override vote in the House, where every Republican voted YES except Rep. Younger from Ulysses, and every Democrat voted NO except Rep. Robinson from Kansas City. The vote in the Senate saw every Republican vote YES, with all Democrats either voting NO, passing, or not being present for the vote.
DIRECT FINANCIAL HELP FOR PRC’S AND MATERNITY HOMES
The Pregnancy Compassion Act allocates $2 million in grants to qualifying PRC’s and Maternity Homes in Kansas that they can use to help women with unplanned pregnancies. There are about 50 such organizations in Kansas. Some grantees are already using these funds from last year to hire bilingual workers, expand hours of service, offer parenting classes and implement similar upgrades to the services they provide to women. The governor line-item vetoed these funds, but the legislature was able to override the veto. Here’s the override vote in the House where every Republican was YES and every Democrat NO except Rep. Robinson from Kansas City. In the Senate, every Republican voted YES except Sen. Doll from Garden City who passed. Every Democrat voted NO.
ABORTION COERCION IS NOW A CRIME
A peer reviewed study by the Lozier Institute revealed a “hidden epidemic” where close to 70% of women who have had an abortion felt coerced in some way. Now with the passage of HB 2436, abortion coercion is a crime in Kansas. Once again, the Kansas Catholic Conference worked very hard to help override the governor’s veto, and we were successful. In the House, every Republican except Rep Younger voted YES on the override, while every Democrat voted NO except Rep. Robinson. In the Senate, every Republican except Sen. Doll voted YES, (Doll was not present), and every Democrat voted NO (except Sen. Holscher, who was not present.) This legislation will help allow women with unplanned pregnancies to make their own choice without pressure, and we hope the choice is life!
BETTER ABORTION DATA = MORE SAVED LIVES
Why do women make the decision to have an abortion? This is a complex and complicated issue. There is some data available, (see chart). But the passage of HB 2749 is designed to help provide better answers. This new Abortion Reporting Law will require the abortionist to ask each woman why they are having an abortion. Women may decline to answer, but it is hoped this information will allow social service agencies, policymakers and others the information and data they need, so programs and policies can be established to better serve women with unplanned pregnancies. Also under this new law, data reported by the KDHE will be required twice a year on specific timelines. The House vote saw all Republicans casting a YES vote, except Reps. Schreiber and Younger, and all Democrats voted NO except Rep. Robinson. In the Senate, every Republican voted YES except Senators Doll and McGinn who were not present for the vote. Every Democrat Senator voted NO, except Senator Holscher, who was not present.
“FLIP-FLOPS” LEAD TO BITTER LOSS OF HELP NOT HARM
The insidious ideology of gender transition for young people is rapidly infecting our culture. Kansas was perfectly positioned to protect children from this dysfunctional approach to sexual confusion. Then two “flip-flop” votes led to the bitter defeat of the Help Not Harm Law, SB 233. Confused and vulnerable children will suffer as a result.
This bill would have stopped so-called “gender transition” procedures in Kansas, like puberty blockers, cross-hormone chemical injections and the surgical manipulation and removal of children’s healthy genitals and breasts. The governor vetoed this legislation and the votes were there for a successful override. But at the last hour, two House members flip-flopped their votes to NO, and the veto was upheld. Those two legislators are Rep. Jesse Borjon (R-Topeka) and Rep. Susan Concannon (R-Beloit).
We encourage all Kansans to send these legislators an email expressing their disappointment with the flip-flop votes that will lead to countless more children being injured by these sinister procedures. You can email Rep. Borjon here: jesse.borjon@house.ks.gov, and Rep.Concannon here: susan.concannon@house.ks.gov
Below are the official “Explanation of Vote” statements from each of these two legislators.
We are struck by the fact that Rep. Borjorn “strongly”
opposes gender reassignment surgery, hormone blockers for children, yet
approves the veto and says the bill restricts mental health for children. This is simply not true.
Read the bill: SB
233 Rep. Concannon parrots misinformation from the high-profit
gender transition industry, including hospitals and abortion providers (yes,
gender transition “service” is now part of the abortion industry),
lamenting that we are “not listening” to children. This is simply not true.
There is much to say about the Satanic phenomenon of gender
dysphoria and transitioning among young people. Here is a short video
from our friend and nationally recognized author Jason Evert that helps explain
the dangers and why our children need to be protected: Jason
Evert gender transitioning
The vote in the House
was all Republicans YES except Reps. Concannon, Borjon, Schreiber and
Younger, with Democrat Robinson voting YES and all other House Democrats voting
NO. In the Senate,
all Republicans voted YES on the override except Doll and McGinn, who voted NO,
along with all Senate Democrats.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
"The Kansas Catholic Conference is your Catholic voice in Topeka. By being informed and engaged, you help us make Kansas a better place to live, work and raise our families."
– Chuck Weber, Director of the KCC
Chuck Weber, Executive Director
Email: Chuck@KansasCatholic.org
Phone: 316-708-5350
Kansas Catholics:
Our Faith Is About Each And Every One Of Us.
From our sacraments protected by religious freedom, to our Catholic Education fueled by the passion of Catholics statewide. What we do matters. What you do matters.