Kansas GOP OVERRIDES Dem Gov. Laura Kelly’s Veto
Enacts Law that BANS MEN from WOMEN’S Restrooms, Defines Sex at Birth, Mandates Accurate Male/Female IDs
Kansas Republicans delivered a decisive victory for women’s privacy and biological truth on February 18, 2026, when the House joined the Senate in overriding Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Substitute for Senate Bill 244.
The Republican-led Senate overrode Kelly’s veto with a 31-9 vote, and the House followed with an 87-37 tally, easily surpassing the two-thirds margin needed to send the bill straight into law.
The move came just days after Gov. Kelly vetoed the bill on February 13, 2026, calling the legislation “poorly drafted” and warning it would have “numerous and significant consequences.”
Republicans, however, had the votes and they used them.
Under the new statute:
- Restroom use in state government buildings, schools, and universities is restricted to the sex assigned at birth. Transgender Kansans who identify differently but who have not had surgery or whose IDs do not match their gender identity will be barred from using opposite-sex facilities.
- Government agencies will designate multi-occupancy restrooms as either male or female — eliminating “gender-neutral” bathrooms in state buildings.
- Driver’s licenses and birth certificates must reflect biological sex at birth, not self-declared gender identity — reversing any existing changes for residents.
- Penalties for violations include warnings for a first infraction, $1,000 fines for second violations and misdemeanor charges for repeated infractions.