“We said at the beginning of the 2025 Kansas legislative session that we were expecting to bear witness more than passing or stopping particular legislation, and so it turned out,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director of Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) in the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network. This month’s SPPO Spotlight Series entry is a look at some of the ways KIFA bears witness through advocacy. KIFA works with the ELCA Central States Synod and is a strategic partner of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, and the Mercy & Justice Team of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church.
By Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director, Kansas Interfaith Action
On March 10, 2025, around 170 Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) supporters gathered at the Kansas Statehouse to learn, advocate and bear moral witness to issues that concern people of faith throughout the state. Highlights of the day included an inclusive and energizing rally, as well as our large group chanting, “Love not hate makes Kansas great!” outside of the legislative chambers. Thanks to the dedicated work of KIFA staff and volunteers, KIFA Day 2025 was our most successful Advocacy Day ever! And thanks to the dedicated KIFA supporters who attended, our presence at the Capitol in Topeka was visible and our voices were clearly heard!
During the Legislative Session
KIFA has been actively engaged on several fronts in recent months, working to live out our faith through advocacy and action in the public square. The 2025 Kansas legislative session, which met Jan. 13 through Apr. 11, demanded significant attention and advocacy from KIFA.
Standing Against Anti-Transgender Legislation: A major focus was the fight against discriminatory legislation targeting transgender Kansans. Despite strong opposition from KIFA and our coalition partners, in February the legislature overrode Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on SB 63, a comprehensive ban on gender-affirming care for minors. KIFA opposed this harmful bill and pledged ongoing support to youth and families who will be affected by the legislation. KIFA also actively opposed SB 76, sometimes referenced as the “pronoun bill,” which aimed to restrict the use of students’ preferred names and pronouns in schools. While it passed the Senate, advocacy in coalition with KIFA contributed to the bill not advancing further in the House. HB 2311, a bill which allows foster care placements with people who espouse “religious or moral” objections to LGBTQ+ folks, passed, was vetoed by the governor, then was passed by overriding the veto.
Advocating for Equitable Policies: KIFA engaged on a range of other critical issues. The organization opposed SB 19, seeking expanded vaccine exemptions. In public education, we opposed HB 2136, aiming to increase private school tax credits. The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate. In affordable housing, KIFA fought against HB 2119, which sought to repeal the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, and KIFA supported HB 2074 which would reinstate the Homestead Property Tax Refund for renters. Concerns about the judiciary led KIFA to oppose SCR 1611, a constitutional amendment regarding Supreme Court justice selection that will now appear on the August 2026 ballot. Additionally, KIFA advocated against SB 254, intended to deny in-state tuition to undocumented students. Later in the session, KIFA voiced strong opposition to SB 4, eliminating the grace period for mail ballots, which unfortunately passed over the governor’s veto.
Find a more in-depth End-of-Session Report posted to the KIFA website on Apr. 24.
The Witness Doesn’t End
As we move away from the just-concluded legislative session, KIFA’s attention is turning to a couple of really difficult and important issues: immigration and protecting Medicaid at the federal level. We’ll speak more about each of these issues, but briefly: we are part of a coalition working to oppose private-prison company CoreCivic’s attempts to turn their idle facility in Leavenworth into an ICE holding center and will be holding a prayer vigil/protest when a court hearing on the matter is held in May [Editor’s Note: update since written]. We are also part of a federal defense-of-Medicaid coalition working to stave off attempts to slash this vital element of our health care system which protects the neediest.
We also continue our full slate of speaking engagements, KIFA coffeehouses and other on-line meetings. May 27 was the 2025 KIFA Annual Event, which featured Amanda Tyler as keynote. Event promotion read: “We find ourselves in challenging times – perhaps the most challenging many of us have ever known. Yet together, the KIFA community is meeting the moment: showing up at the statehouse, preaching a message of justice from our pulpits, holding our leaders accountable, fighting White Christian Nationalism, and living up to the divine call to protect and advocate for the most vulnerable among us. With your help, and with God’s, KIFA is standing up for our sacred values in the midst of the challenge.”
