Titus defends bill banning access to gender-affirming care; says governor is framing a false narrative in her opposition

State lawmakers head back to Topeka later this week for veto session.

Earlier this month, Gov. Laura Kelly announced a veto of Senate Bill 233, which would place limitations on gender-affirming care for minors, including access to surgery, hormone treatments and puberty blockers. In her veto statement, Gov. Kelly has said the bill was based on a politically distorted belief that the legislature knows better than parents how to raise their children. 51st District State Rep. Kenny Titus, of Manhattan says the governor has framed a false narrative regarding the proposed legislation.

Titus pointed to California law approved last year that instructs courts to consider, among many other factors, whether a parent affirms a child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions.

According to the USA Today, the state says the Indiana couple lost custody not due to their religious views but rather because of the need of addressing the teen’s severe eating disorder. The IndyStar reported the state’s Department of Child Services received two reports of abuse or neglect related to the teen’s transgender identity in 2021. The state also dropped allegations of parental abuse or neglect but argued that if the parents regained custody, the eating disorder might worsen.

Titus says he believes Kelly, in her framing of her opposition to the bill, is setting it up so that Kansas lose their rights and ability to talk to doctors and their children if they don’t happen to agree with them.

The legislature appears to have the votes necessary to attempt a veto override.

Legislators are also still anxiously awaiting the governor’s decision on the tax bill.

Gov. Laura Kelly has until Thursday to act on House Bill 2036, which earned bipartisan support from legislators and would reduce the state income, sales and property taxes by $1.5 billion. Consensus estimates released on Friday show economists and fiscal analysts believe about 1% should be trimmed from the current year’s revenue forecast, though both fiscal years 2024 and 2025 are expected to exceed $10.1 billion in revenue.

Titus says the bill is seen as a compromise from what some state leaders had initially wanted with a single-rate plan.

Titus says he believes the governor is leaning toward a veto, due to its high cost, but defended the plan, which received unanimous support in the Kansas House.

Among other things, the bill would accelerate the reduction in the state sales tax on food to zero by July 1 instead of the end of this year.