Kansas lawmakers Thursday failed to overturn Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto on a measure dubbed a “parents’ bill of rights,” meaning the bill will not become law this year.
The bill, known as SB 58, aimed to give parents more power to review and challenge classroom materials and curricula, including “lessons, syllabi, surveys, tests, questionnaires, examinations, books, magazines, handouts.”
Mostly Republican supporters of the bill said it was needed because parents have been shut out of their children’s education and have no control over potentially objectionable things being taught in schools.
But many Democrats cast the bill as politicized, driven by overblown concerns about things like “critical race theory” and LGBTQ issues. School officials have consistently told the Legislature that parents can already access information about curriculum and raise potential concerns.
The override passed the Senate by a vote of 27-12, but it did not meet the required two thirds vote in the House, which voted 72-50.
Take a look at how Johnson County lawmakers voted.
A “yes” means the lawmaker voted to override Gov. Kelly’s veto, and a “no” means the lawmaker voted to sustain the veto.
Kansas House of Representatives
Chris Croft (Republican, Overland Park): YES
Owen Donohoe (Republican, Shawnee): YES
Charlotte Esau (Republican, Olathe): YES
Linda Featherston (Democrat, Overland Park): NO
Jo Ella Hoye (Democrat, Lenexa): NO
Timothy H. Johnson (Republican, Bonner Springs): YES
Megan Lynn (Republican, Olathe): YES
Heather Meyer (Democrat, Overland Park): NO
Cindy Neighbor (Democrat, Shawnee): NO
Dan Osman (Democrat, Overland Park): NO
Jarrod Ousley (Democrat, Merriam): NO
Mari-Lynn Poskin (Democrat, Leawood): NO
John Resman (Republican, Olathe): YES
Susan Ruiz (Democrat, Shawnee): NO
Ron Ryckman (Republican, Olathe): YES
Stephanie Sawyer Clayton (Democrat, Overland Park): NO
Jerry Stogsdill (Democrat, Prairie Village): NO
Bill Sutton (Republican, Gardner): Absent / Did Not Vote
Sean E. Tarwater Sr. (Republican, Stilwell): YES
Adam T. Thomas (Republican, Olathe): Yes
John Toplikar (Republican, Olathe): YES
Carl Turner (Republican, Leawood): YES
Lindsay Vaughn (Democrat, Overland Park): Absent / Did Not Vote
Brandon Woodard (Democrat, Lenexa): NO
Rui Xu (Democrat, Westwood): NO
Kansas Senate
Molly Baumgardner (Republican, Louisburg): YES
Ethan Corson (Democrat, Prairie Village): NO
Beverly Gossage (Republican, Eudora): YES
Cindy Holscher (Democrat, Overland Park): NO
Rob Olson (Republican, Olathe): YES
Pat Pettey (Democrat, Kansas City): NO
Dinah Sykes (Democrat, Lenexa): NO
Mike Thompson (Republican, Shawnee): YES
Kellie Warren (Republican, Leawood): YES