Legislative Session 2024 Recap: The Good, The Bad, and The Important

The 2024 legislative session is over, and it continued the turbulent trends of past years. Once again civil liberties were targeted, while we strove to advance our rights by supporting positive legislation.

Here’s how things shook out:

The Good

Decisive Defeat of Anti-Transgender Bill SB 233

This session lawmakers advanced an egregious anti-transgender bill that aimed to restrict access to critical, life-saving gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. The bill, called SB 233, also censored state employees through severe penalties—though the criteria of what conduct violated the bill were dangerously vague.

Although lawmakers managed to pass this harmful bill, it was vetoed by Governor Kelly and proponents failed to garner legislative support to override the veto.

Safeguarding Voting Rights: SB 14 Stopped

We’re also relieved to have defeated SB 14, a bill that sought to eliminate the vital 3-day grace period for mail-in ballots. This grace period is essential in providing voters, the United States Postal Service, and election clerks with the necessary flexibility to ensure that all votes are properly tallied and counted.

Despite numerous other bills aimed at curtailing access to the ballot box, the ACLU of Kansas is relieved that these pernicious efforts have largely stalled for now. We will remain vigilant and continue to staunchly defend the voting rights of all Kansans.

The Bad

Veto Overrides Allow Attacks on Reproductive Freedom

Despite Kansas voters' resounding rejection of a state constitutional amendment that would have led to a total ban on abortion in 2022—a decision that reaffirmed the state's commitment to bodily autonomy and the right to make one's own medical decisions—antiabortion extremists in the 2024 Kansas Legislature persisted in their relentless efforts to curtail reproductive freedom.

Regrettably, two bills that further restrict access to essential abortion services were signed into law:

HB 2436: Creating the crime of coercion to obtain an abortion and providing enhanced criminal penalties for offenses committed with the intent to coerce a woman to obtain an abortion.

HB 2749: Requiring medical care facilities and providers to report the private reasons for each abortion performed to the state, a blatant violation of patient privacy and reproductive autonomy.

We’re upset and outraged at these abhorrent bills and the dangers they pose for Kansans; we will continue to challenge these affronts to reproductive freedom in Kansas.

The Important

The Fight to End Juvenile Fines and Fees 

Currently, youth in Kansas can face a litany of fines and fees when they interact with the criminal legal system. The ACLU of Kansas, alongside our coalition partners, supported a bipartisan bill denoted as HB 2568/SB 416 that would eliminate these costs for kids.

With its bipartisan support this bill passed unanimously out of the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee in 2023—a rare and encouraging feat. However, this year House and Senate leaders prevented it from receiving a full vote, allowing it to die.

While the bill will need to be reintroduced in the 2025 legislative session, the strong support and momentum built this session gives advocates hope that a successful bill can be passed to address this important issue and provide much-needed relief to Kansas youth and families.

The Ongoing Fight Against Anti-DEI Legislation

The ACLU of Kansas is deeply concerned that Governor Kelly allowed HB 2105, an anti-DEI bill that applies to higher education, to become law without her signature. This is a deeply troubling outcome, and we remain determined to confront the persistent threat of harmful legislation that seeks to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Kansas. As we look ahead to the 2025 legislative session, the ACLU of Kansas will redouble our efforts to prevent the introduction and passage of any such regressive bills.

Now that you’re caught up with where things stand, remember you don’t have to wait until next session to join us in fighting for civil liberties. Join us for an event, or check to see how you can take action. It’s a year-long job defending civil liberties—and we hope you’ll fight with us.