TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Restrooms and locker rooms in public buildings would be limited to biological gender only under a bill approved Wednesday in the Kansas House.

The 87-36 vote followed nearly six hours of debate.

The bill also requires drivers licenses and birth certificates to reflect a person’s biological gender at birth. The Kansas Court of Appeals struck down a previous gender marker requirement that was part of another law.

Read and track the bill here.

The bathroom requirements were added to the bill during a committee hearing Tuesday afternoon. The proposal does not preclude a gender neutral, single-person restroom facility or a family restroom.

The lack of a formal hearing on the new provision was cited by some in their opposition to the bill.

“There’s no public input in the Senate. There’s no testimony from your municipalities that you live in that are going to have to deal with the fallout and ramifications,” Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park, said.

Other representatives disputed that argument.

“I know for some of you, this may be a brand new bill, you’ve never heard this topic, you’ve never seen it discussed in the legislature, but I can tell you it’s not new. Things like this have come up. We’ve had many conversations,” said Rep. Charlotte Esau, R-Olathe.

Supporters say the policy is about safety and ensuring official documents match biological gender. They also cite privacy, especially for women and girls.

“They deserve environments that respect those boundaries without forcing them to negotiate privacy in moments when they should not have to,” Rep. Megan Steele, R-Manhattan, said.

However, opponents say the bill discriminates against people who are transgender.

“Trans Kansans are not a threat to anyone,” said Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, D-Topeka. “There are a lot of people in Kansas, who will be emboldened by this kind of legislation and other kinds of legislation to harass transgender people.”

A motion to send the bill back to committee failed.

The bill would still need approval from the Senate.

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When Chourio reached Low A last July, he became the first pitcher under age 18 in full-season ball since Julio Urías debuted in Low A in 2013. Chourio signed last January for $247,500, began in the Dominican Summer League, then moved to the Arizona Complex League, and between those two stops he walked one batter in 28 2/3 innings for a 0.9 percent walk rate. He finished the year in the Carolina League, where his walk rate soared to 4.2 percent (that’s sarcasm) and he did have real issues with men on base, giving up a .340/.389/.740 line in a small sample of 54 PA. He doesn’t look like a 17-year-old on the mound, certainly, with exceptional command of a three-pitch mix that includes a 94-97 mph four-seamer with some ride and natural cut to it, an upper-70s curveball that seems to drop off the table, and an 84-88 mph changeup with good fade that he almost exclusively used against lefties. He’s already stronger than his listed weight of 160, with a good lower half to maintain that velocity and perhaps add a little more as he becomes an adult. There’s obvious risk with any pitcher his age throwing even moderately hard, and he does have to pitch better from the stretch, but this is everything you’d want to see in a young pitching prospect, including the potential upside of 80 command.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt of Kansas expressed various shades of alarm about fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents taking part in an aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

The death Saturday of Alex Pretti, who worked as a nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, followed the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, which set off widespread protests.

“I am deeply troubled by the shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents. Our constitution provides citizens protection from the government. We have a right to free speech, to peaceably assemble and to bear arms,” said Moran, a Republican who has served Kansans in Washington for three decades.

He said people in the United States expected government to thwart lawless behavior, including illegal immigration. He said that job required local, state and federal officials to work together on upholding the law.

“Law enforcement must reflect our nation’s values and citizens should obey the law,” said Moran, an attorney. “This tragic circumstance should be investigated to the fullest extent to ensure transparency and accountability.”

Davids, a Democrat representing the 3rd District of eastern Kansas, said she was “angry and heartbroken” by Pretti’s death. She said “this shouldn’t be who we are as a country” and urged the administration of President Donald Trump to halt the bloodshed.

“People should feel safe in their own communities, but right now families are afraid to leave their homes and communities are living in fear,” she said. “One killing is too many, but after two fatal shootings in recent weeks, this administration must answer for what happened and take immediate, concrete action to stop the senseless killing.”

Davids, also an attorney, said local law enforcement should be left to protect neighborhoods without the overbearing presence of “masked, militarized federal agents operating with zero transparency.”

Sustaining rule of law

Schmidt, the Kansas Republican serving his first term as 2nd District congressman, said U.S. immigration law had to be enforced in a manner respectful of constitutional boundaries. He said deadly shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis required rigorous investigation.

“In my view, there needs to be a transparent and thorough review and factfinding regarding the officer involved shootings in Minnesota — as there should be in every officer involved shooting anywhere,” said Schmidt, who served a dozen years as Kansas’ attorney general. “Enforcing the law professionally and with clear focus and common sense is vital to public confidence in the rule of law.”

Schmidt said reported actions by some federal officials and the alleged lack of cooperation among state officials was distressing. Difficulty enforcing U.S. immigration law was tied to decisions by President Joe Biden to allow millions of people into the country “illegally,” the congressman said.

Schmidt said Congress must fund body cameras and better training for personnel at U.S. Immigration and Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He said he would continue to raise questions about use by ICE or CBP of administrative, rather than judicial, warrants to enter homes.

Three Republicans in the Kansas congressional delegation — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes — didn’t respond to requests for comment about violence in Minnesota.

Christy Davis, a Democrat from Cottonwood Falls seeking to oust Marshall in 2026, said video images of federal agents confronting Pretti should challenge the government’s use of lethal force. She said the Trump administration had to be held accountable for unnecessary loss of life.

“If Senator Marshall is unwilling to call out the Trump administration for the use of militarized force against people in our communities, then he is failing in his duty as a U.S. senator,” Davis said. “The footage is horrifying and impossible to justify. This was not about public safety. It was unchecked violence carried out by a system that has abandoned accountability.”

‘Armed thugs’