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** For Immediate Release
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April 16, 2025

Kansas Overrides Veto, PJI Leads Charge

The measure – which will go into effect immediately – is designed to prevent religious discrimination against adoptive and foster families

TOPEKA, KS – Today following the urging of the Pacific Justice Institute – Center for Public Policy Kansas legislators successfully voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2311, a critical measure designed to protect religious liberties and prioritize the best interests of children in the state’s foster care system. The bill would prohibit the state from forcing prospective foster families to adhere to LGBTQAI+ ideology.

The governor’s veto sparked the concern of the Pacific Justice Institute – Center for Public Policy who champions the measure as a necessary safeguard for religious families and faith-based agencies serving the state’s most vulnerable children.

House Bill 2311, also referred to as the Adoption Conscience Act, prohibits the state from requiring “a person to affirm, accept or support any governmental policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that may conflict with the person’s sincerely held moral or religious beliefs” as a condition for serving as a foster parent in Kansas. The measure also bans the state from “selection, appointment or licensure, if otherwise eligible, of a person because of such person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity or intent to guide or instruct a child consistent with such beliefs.”

On Thursday, members of the Kansas House of Representatives voted 87-38 and Senate lawmakers voted 31-9 to override the veto.

“HB 2311 ensures that all qualified families can serve children without being forced to compromise their deeply held religious beliefs. Governor Kelly’s veto sent a troubling message that ideological political agendas matter more than finding loving homes for kids in need,” said Brad Dacus, president and founder of PJI. “Religious freedom is not a partisan issue,” Dacus continued. “We thank the leadership and members of the Kansas Legislature who acted swiftly and decisively to override this veto.”

In recent years, attorneys at PJI have seen an increase in states actively preventing religious Americans from serving as adoptive or foster parents due to their traditional views on gender and sexuality. In Oregon, PJI staff attorney Ray Hacke recently represented a Christian married couple in Oregon who were denied a foster care license because, in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs, they would not commit to providing "affirming" care to a hypothetical LGBT+ foster child. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who initially heard the case openly acknowledged that it was PJI's clients' "faith-based refusal to affirm LGBTQ youth ... that ultimately triggered the Department’s decision to end Applicants’ certification process." If a measure such as House Bill 2311 existed in Oregon, PJI's clients would not have been barred from becoming foster parents.

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