Topeka ? Candidates for state and federal office in Kansas would have to prove their citizenship under a bill approved by a Kansas House committee.

Critics say the bill approved Wednesday by the House Elections Committee is inspired by the so-called birther movement, which has questioned President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship.

But Rep. John Rubin, a Shawnee Republican who voted for the bill, says if the state is going to ask its citizens to prove they are U.S. citizens, candidates should face the same requirement.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Rep. Ann Mah, a Democrat from Topeka, said called the bill “silliness to get at the president.”