Kansas Legislature Stands Up for Free Speech, Life, and Families with Laws Similar to Arkansas’
The Kansas Legislature made headlines recently by overriding Governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of several important bills — such as bills protecting free speech on college campuses, defunding Planned Parenthood, strengthening women’s informed consent laws, and expanding education freedom for families.
All of these measures are similar to good laws Arkansas has enacted over the years.
The Kansas Intellectual Rights and Knowledge Act — the KIRK Act — protects students at public colleges and universities from being censored for their beliefs. Under the law, students are free to engage in speech and expressive activities on campus without fear of punishment for holding the “wrong” viewpoint. The measure is similar to laws Arkansas has enacted in the past.
Public universities are supposed to be places where ideas are freely exchanged. But in recent years, students and faculty with traditional or Christian viewpoints have increasingly found themselves silenced. As our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have said, this kind of viewpoint-based censorship is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
Government should not be in the business of picking which ideas are acceptable and which ones must be silenced.
The Kansas Legislature also voted to keep taxpayer dollars away from Planned Parenthood. That is exactly the right call.
Arkansans have long agreed that their tax dollars should not subsidize the abortion industry, and Arkansas law reflects that.
On education, Kansas lawmakers passed the Education Freedom Tax Credit, which lets families choose a school that reflects their values rather than being locked into a government-run school. That is a commonsense parental rights measure, and it mirrors the kind of education freedom Arkansas has worked to expand through its own Educational Freedom Account program under the 2023 LEARNS Act.
Arkansas has consistently been a leader when it comes to protecting free speech, the free exercise of religion, and the right to life. It’s good to see other state legislatures doing the same.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
