Kelly Lets Religious Assembly Interference Bill Become Law
Governor cites free speech concerns but declines to veto measure creating new criminal penalties
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly allowed Substitute for House Bill 2018 to become law Monday without her signature, enacting a measure that creates the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly. The bill establishes criminal penalties for disrupting religious gatherings and creates a civil cause of action allowing affected parties to sue for damages. In a statement, Kelly said the legislation arises from tension between two fundamental rights — the free exercise of religion and freedom of expression — but warned the bill resolves that tension by elevating one right over the other and will likely produce costly litigation. Allowing a bill to become law without a signature is a common move when a governor opposes legislation but declines to mount a veto fight, particularly when override majorities appear secure. The new law takes effect upon publication in the statute book on July 1.
The Kansas measure follows months of national Republican outcry over a January incident at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where more than two dozen anti-ICE activists disrupted a Sunday worship service in search of a pastor who also serves as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon livestreamed the protest from inside the church and was later indicted on federal civil rights charges alongside eight co-defendants under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The episode became a rallying point for conservative lawmakers nationwide, with Kansas legislators among those citing the St. Paul disruption as justification for state-level criminal protections around houses of worship.
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