Kansas Week 8: Banning Care for Trans Youth, Marijuana Update, Racism & More 🚨
Video Script
Intro
Hey I’m Davis Hammet with Loud Light! Here’s what happened the short, yet controversial 8th week inside the Kansas Statehouse.
Banning Care for Trans Youth (HB2971 & HB2972)
The House and Senate held hearings on bills targeting both medical and non-medical gender affirming care for transgender youth by effectively banning all evidence-based medical treatment for gender dysphoria for minors, even with parental consent. And banning any individual or entity receiving state funds from “promoting” social transitioning, such as allowing a minor to change how they dress or their pronouns. While these bills are only in the House, a Senate committee held an informational briefing, exclusively inviting largely out of state activists to testify in support. After public pressure, opponents of the bill were given short notice that they would be allowed to speak too. Despite every major medical association condemning legislation that bans gender affirming care for minors, the bill sponsor Rep. Ron Bryce, compared gender affirming care to a lobotomy. Several of the bill's opponents were kicked out of the hearing by Chair Brenda Landwehr and some were even removed while giving testimony. One of the bills did not have anyone testify in support and overwhelming opposition from Kansas citizens, yet it’s still expected that policies targeting transgender children will advance this year.
Medicaid vs. Leadership
Republican Leadership continues to block Medicaid expansion, despite other Republican controlled legislatures around the country embracing expansion leaving Kansas increasingly an outlier in its denial of health coverage for the working poor. A bill proposed by top Medicaid expansion opponent and private insurance salesman House Speaker Dan Hawkins would raise reimbursement rates for doctors who see Medicaid patients, but does not address the estimated 150,000 Kansans who are in the coverage gap making too much for traditional Medicaid, but too little to qualify for health exchange subsidies.
Will Kansas See Medical Marijuana This Year?
For the past few sessions, Senate President Ty Masterson has blocked the Legislature from hearing any bills that would legalize medical marijuana, despite a bill passing in the House in 2021. Currently, Kansas is one of only four states in the nation that criminalize marijuana in all situations regardless of medical need. This week, Masterson stated that he expects a medical marijuana bill to be introduced and worked on in the “next week or two”. We do not know yet what the bill will include; however, it is up to the Sen. Pres. alone if the bill will make it to a vote on the Senate floor.
Racism in the Legislature
Representative Ford Carr, a black legislator from Wichita, released a letter saying “Racism in the Kansas Legislature is subtle, but powerful.” In the letter he stated that white Republican legislators have attempted to stop him from speaking on the floor, and that Leadership has refused him intern services that all lawmakers receive. He cited several bills that targeted black and brown Kansans, including increasing penalties for running from police, and making it harder for Kansans to make bail after arrest. Rep. Carr ended the letter addressing how Leadership blocks bi-partisan policy such as the CROWN Act which would protect black and brown Kansans from discrimination and retaliation for wearing their natural hair in the workplace.
Coming Up
We are at the point in the legislative session when things become increasingly unpredictable. Committee’s are hearing bills that have passed at least one chamber, but agenda’s are changing at the last minute. On Monday, the Senate is expected to start debating voter suppression bills that could result in thousands of Kansans ballots being thrown out. Tuesday, there is a reproductive justice advocacy day at the statehouse. Follow us on social media for updates throughout the week so you can stay on top of the legislature. Stay tuned, stay engaged, and until next time, thank you so much Kansas!