Amendments Introduced in Two More Southern States
Two more Southern states this year will have the opportunity to adopt Parental Rights Amendments to their constitutions, following the lead set by Texas in 2025.
In Georgia, Representative Todd Jones and four cosponsors have introduced House Resolution 1023 (HR 1023), proposing an amendment to the state constitution to protect parents’ “fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children.” The resolution was introduced on January 15 and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, of which Rep. Jones is a member. It is not yet on that committee’s schedule.
And in Alabama, Rep. Kenneth Paschal has been working closely with us to introduce a Parental Rights Amendment to that state’s constitution, as well. House Bill 148 (HB 148) was introduced on January 13 and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Like the Georgia proposal, it preserves the right of parents “to direct the education, upbringing, care, custody and control of [their] child.”
Each of these proposals draws its list of rights from existing U.S. Supreme Court precedent. In its landmark 1925 decision, Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the Court declared an Oregon law unconstitutional because it “unreasonably interfere[ed] with the liberty of parents and guardians to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.” And in its 2000 decision, Troxel v. Granville, the Court held that “the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court.” (Emphasis added in both citations.)
As a result, neither amendment would create additional rights that parents don’t already have as recognized by the Supreme Court. Rather, these efforts seek to protect these rights more securely by putting them in a safe place: the text of the state’s constitution.
As it stands, these rights are secured by Supreme Court precedent, but they are nowhere codified in black and white—nowhere, that is, except Texas.
Representatives Paschal and Jones are working to bring that same level of protection to their own states in 2026.
If you live in Georgia or Alabama, please take note of these efforts. If you can, take a moment today to email or call your state representative and encourage them to support the appropriate bill (HR 1023 in Georgia or HB 148 in Alabama). And please be attentive to our emails as the legislative season progresses, as we will send you alerts whenever these measures move, especially if an outpouring of support is needed.
And take one more step, as well: share this information with friends or family members so that they can also sign up to our list and respond to those alerts when they come.
In each of these two states, the amendment process requires a super-majority vote in the legislature (two-thirds, or 67%, in Georgia and three-fifths, or 60%, in Alabama) followed by a simple majority in a public election. So, if these bills pass their respective legislatures, we will also need to turn out the vote in the next election.
If you don’t live in Georgia or Alabama, of course, you can’t weigh in on any of those things. But perhaps you could reach out to a lawmaker where you live and invite them to consider bringing parental rights to your state. Just as Georgia and Alabama are following the example of Texas, more states will follow their example, too, and the nationwide momentum will continue to grow.
Whatever your role in securing parental rights in your state, I am grateful for your support. You make it possible for us to work with lawmakers to secure parental rights now and for the future.