Victory in Kansas! Today is a monumental day for women. 🎉
Dear Friend,
Today is a monumental day for women. 🎉
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Breaking just moments ago: The IW Women’s Bill of Rights (WBOR) model legislation became law in Kansas after we waged a well fought battle to override Governor Kelly’s veto of SB 180—the Kansas Women’s Bill of Rights.

For the past six months, IWV has been on the ground in Kansas working with a team to engage state legislators and educate the public on why the Women’s Bill of Rights is critical legislation to pass to protect women from erasure.

In the general session, Independent Women’s Voice Spokeswoman Riley Gaines, Independent Women’s Law Center Director Jennifer C. Braceras, and Independent Women’s Voice Vice President for Policy Hadley Heath Manning testified before both chambers about the pressing need for the bill. The bill passed favorably in the House and Senate but was vetoed last week by Governor Laura Kelly.

In order to override her veto, IWV needed to secure a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. So IWV launched an aggressive advocacy campaign to urge constituents to contact their legislators and ask them to vote YES on the override.

Despite relentless false attacks and misinformation disseminated by the Kansas propaganda media, in just two and half weeks, IWV was able to circumvent the media and reach Kansans. We:
* Initiated 2,055 constituent actions
* Launched a radio ad in Topeka
* Acquired nearly half a million impressions from our educational digital ads
* Deployed various text advocacy actions
* Made four local radio and TV appearances

Additionally, the Washington Times ([link removed]) and Politico ([link removed]) covered the bill in multiple reports since January and Independent Women’s Law Center fellow May Mailman’s op-ed ([link removed]) was published in Real Clear Policy this week.

The Senate voted to override the veto with more than enough votes yesterday, but today’s House battle came down to the wire and one deciding vote.

The vote was close, but in the end, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle decided to stand with 1.46 million women in Kansas and set a national precedent that this legislation is common sense and essential to defining women and protecting their most vulnerable spaces and opportunities.

All of us at IW are ecstatic to have achieved this victory for women in Kansas and especially proud that the Women’s Bill of Rights is a bi-partisan supported approach to stand with women and a vehicle to protect women’s spaces, opportunities, and safety.

Best,
Jordanne Kemper
Campaign Director

P.S. To take action you can help in two ways:
1. Sign the Women’s Bill of Rights ([link removed]) to raise its national awareness
2. Invest ([link removed]) to support the expansion of the Women’s Bill of Rights in other states.

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