Kansas law voids trans IDs overnight
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Transgender Kansans learned this week their driver's licenses and amended birth certificates became invalid Thursday after lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto and a new state law took effect.
Why it matters: The abrupt rule change is sending residents scrambling to the DMV and forcing people to pay for replacement documents to keep driving and voting.
Zoom in: The law directs the Kansas Department of Revenue's (KDOR) Division of Vehicles to invalidate and reissue driver's licenses and state IDs when the sex marker does not match the state's definition of sex assigned at birth.
- KDOR mailed letters ahead of the law taking effect, with some recipients reporting they received notice on Wednesday.
- The letters state there is no grace period, meaning credentials became invalid immediately when the law took effect Thursday.
- The law also invalidates certain previously amended Kansas birth certificates and directs the state registrar to correct records.
By the numbers: KDOR officials told the Kansas City Star that roughly 159 gender-marker changes were processed after a court injunction was lifted last fall, and about 1,800 people are expected to be affected by this new law.
What's inside: Government-owned or leased buildings also must designate multi-stall restrooms and locker rooms by sex assigned at birth, with penalties that range from a written notice to a misdemeanor.
Between the lines: Local law enforcement agencies say they are still reviewing the new law and are not planning a targeted enforcement campaign tied to its implementation.
- The Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office tells Axios it has "no comment until we have thoroughly assessed the law change."
What they're saying: Republican leaders say the bill protects privacy in public spaces and keeps state records consistent with biological sex.
- Rep. Susan Humphries (R-Wichita), who brought the bill to the House floor, has rejected arguments about cost and safety, saying the law upholds the societal norm "that men go in men's rooms and women go in women's rooms."
The other side: Rep. Abi Boatman (D-Wichita), the Legislature's only transgender member, told Axios the immediate switch creates real risk for people who drive for work.
- "Driving without a valid license in Kansas is a class B misdemeanor, and folks may be subject to fines up to $1,000 and six months in jail," Boatman tells Axios.
- She also said people whose IDs become invalid would need a new compliant ID to vote under Kansas' voter ID law.
State Sen. Ethan Corson (D-Prairie Village), who voted no, said in a statement to Axios that Senate Bill 244 "is a poorly written bill with sweeping unintended consequences that takes freedoms away from Kansans and puts them into the hands of politicians."
- He added, "focus should be tackling the affordability crisis, expanding access to healthcare, and strengthening our education system, not attacking marginalized Kansans."
The bottom line: Affected residents must turn in invalid licenses and obtain new ones, while government buildings across Kansas must ensure restrooms and locker rooms comply with the new law.