Please Ask Governor Glenn Youngkin to Sign Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill into Law

We’re excited to let you know that S.B. 1367, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko to protect innocent and loving Virginia families from being caught up in child neglect investigations, has unanimously passed the Virginia General Assembly, and is currently awaiting action on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk! 

S.B. 1367 amends Virginia law to clarify that a loving and caring parent who allows his or her child to engage in “independent activities” will not be considered to have neglected the child.

S.B. 1367 enjoys broad bipartisan support from advocacy groups across the political spectrum, including ParentalRights.org and the Parental Rights Foundation, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (whose model bill Virginia’s legislation mirrors), Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Let Grow, Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC), Independent Women’s Forum, and more. 

We were proud to support this critical bill during its journey through the Virginia General Assembly, including providing expert testimony before Senate and House of Delegates Committees, letters of support, grassroots action alerts, and key behind-the-scenes action.  

Now only one step remains: Please contact Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and ask him to sign S.B. 1367 into law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Your message can be as simple as the following:  

Please sign S.B. 1367 into law. This commonsense bill will provide Virginia children with reasonable independence. At a time when it seems that government is encroaching more and more on loving parents and their ability to care for and raise their children, S.B. 1367 provides freedom to parents to let their children grow and thrive, freeing Virginia’s Department of Social Services to focus attention on children who are truly in danger of abuse or neglect. This bill passed the Virginia General Assembly unanimously and should become law in Virginia.

You can also include a link to the letter that we sent to Senators Jill Vogel and Jennifer Boysko in support of S.B. 1367.

And to read more of our background on the importance of these types of bills, please visit our webpage here: https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/reasonable-independence-model/ 

You can also read an excellent op-ed by Senators Vogel and Boysko published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

Thank you for standing with us for parental rights and freedom.

The Virginia Legislature has adjourned sine die. Look for an email in the near future outlining our work on other key parental rights legislation in the Commonwealth of Virginia!