I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 650 
To protect the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children 
as a fundamental right. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2025 
Ms. FOXX (for herself, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. ROSE, Mrs. MILLER of Illi-
nois, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. 
FINSTAD, Mr. LOUDERMILK, Mr. MCCORMICK, and Mr. HARIDOPOLOS) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary 
A BILL 
To protect the right of parents to direct the upbringing 
of their children as a fundamental right. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Families’ Rights and 
Responsibilities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF 
PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The nature of the parent-child relationship 
endows parents with the primary responsibility and 
obligation to care for their child. 
(2) From these responsibilities and obligations 
comes the pre-political, natural right of parents to 
care for their children. 
(3) The role of parents in the raising and 
rearing of their children is of inestimable value and 
deserving of both praise and protection by all levels 
of government. 
(4) This right as recognized in the traditions of 
western civilization recognizes that parents have the 
responsibility to love, nurture, raise, and protect 
their children. 
(5) The right encompasses the authority of par-
ents to direct the upbringing, education, and health 
care of their children according to the dictates of 
their conscience, to direct the upbringing, education, 
and health care of their children in their own beliefs 
and religion, and to be the primary decision maker 
for their child until the child reaches adulthood. 
(6) The Supreme Court has consistently recog-
nized the primary role of parents in caring for chil-
dren, concluding the following: 
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(A) ‘‘[T]he child is not the mere creature 
of the state; those who nurture him and direct 
his destiny have the right, coupled with the 
high duty, to recognize and prepare him for ad-
ditional obligations.’’ Pierce v. Soc’y of the Sis-
ters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary, 268 
U.S. 510, 535 (1925). 
(B) ‘‘[I]t is the natural duty of the parent 
to give his children education suitable to their 
station in life.’’ Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 
390, 400 (1923). 
(C) ‘‘It is plain that the interest of a par-
ent in the companionship, care, custody, and 
management of his or her children comes to 
this Court with a momentum for respect lacking 
when appeal is made to liberties which derive 
merely from shifting economic arrangements.’’ 
Stanley v. Illinois, 405 U.S. 645, 651 (1972). 
(D) ‘‘The history and culture of Western 
civilization reflect a strong tradition of parental 
concern for the nurture and upbringing of their 
children. This primary role of the parents in the 
upbringing of their children is now established 
beyond debate as an enduring American tradi-
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tion.’’ Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 232 
(1972). 
(E) ‘‘Our jurisprudence historically has re-
flected Western civilization concepts of the fam-
ily as a unit with broad parental authority over 
minor children. Our cases have consistently fol-
lowed that course.’’ Parham v. J. R., 442 U.S. 
584, 602 (1979). 
(F) ‘‘We have recognized on numerous oc-
casions that the relationship between parent 
and child is constitutionally protected.’’Quilloin 
v. Walcott, 434 U.S. 246, 255 (1978). 
(G) The Supreme Court has explained that 
the liberty specially protected by the Due Proc-
ess Clause includes the right ‘‘to direct the edu-
cation and upbringing of one’s children.’’ Wash-
ington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702, 720 
(1997). 
(H) ‘‘[W]e have recognized the funda-
mental right of parents to make decisions con-
cerning the care, custody, and control of their 
children . . . In light of this extensive precedent, 
it cannot now be doubted that the Due Process 
Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects 
the fundamental right of parents to make deci-
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sions concerning the care, custody, and control 
of their children.’’ Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 
57, 66 (2000) (plurality op.). 
(I) ‘‘[T]he Due Process Clause does not 
permit a State to infringe on the fundamental 
right of parents to make child rearing decisions 
simply because a state judge believes a ‘better’ 
decision could be made.’’ Troxel, 530 U.S. at 
72–73 (plurality op.). 
(7) Some decisions of Federal courts have failed 
to recognize the fundamental right of parents, re-
sulting in an improper standard of judicial review 
being applied to government conduct that adversely 
affects parental rights and prerogatives. 
(8) Government agencies have increasingly 
intruded into the legitimate decisions and preroga-
tives of parents in situations that do not involve 
abuse or neglect but simply an agency’s disagree-
ment with parenting choices based on decent and 
honorable religious or philosophical premises. 
(9) Government’s involvement in parenting 
should prioritize the parent’s role as the child’s pri-
mary educator and should support, not supplant, the 
parent’s rights and responsibilities. 
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(10) Government should not interfere in the de-
cisions and actions of parents without compelling 
justification. 
(11) The strict scrutiny test used by courts to 
evaluate cases concerning fundamental rights is the 
correct standard of review for government actions 
that interfere with the right of parents to direct the 
upbringing, education, and health care of their chil-
dren, and it appropriately balances the interests of 
parents, children, and government. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to protect the right of parents to direct the 
upbringing of their children as a fundamental right; 
and 
(2) while protecting the right of parents, to ac-
knowledge that the rights involve responsibilities and 
specifically that parents have the responsibility for 
the education, nurture, and upbringing of their chil-
dren as specified by the Supreme Court in Meyer v. 
Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 400 (1923), Wisconsin v. 
Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 232 (1972), and Washington 
v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702, 720 (1997), and have 
the high duty to recognize and prepare their children 
for additional obligations as specified by the Su-
preme Court in Pierce v. Soc’y of the Sisters of the 
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Holy Names of Jesus & Mary, 268 U.S. 510, 535 
(1925). 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘government’’ 
includes a branch, department, agency, instrumen-
tality, and official (or other person acting under 
color of law) of the United States, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 
each territory and possession of the United States. 
(2) PARENT.—The term ‘‘parent’’ means a bio-
logical parent of a child, an adoptive parent of a 
child, or an individual who has been granted exclu-
sive right and authority over the welfare of a child 
under State law. 
(3) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ means an indi-
vidual who has not attained 18 years of age. 
(4) SUBSTANTIAL
BURDEN.—The term ‘‘sub-
stantial burden’’— 
(A) means any action that directly or indi-
rectly constrains, inhibits, curtails, or denies 
the right of parents to direct the upbringing, 
education, and health care of their child or 
compels any action contrary to the right of par-
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ents to direct the upbringing, education, and 
health care of their child; and 
(B) includes withholding benefits, assess-
ing criminal, civil, or administrative penalties or 
damages, or exclusion from governmental pro-
grams. 
SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT.—The liberty of par-
ents to direct the upbringing, education, and health 
care of their children is a fundamental right. 
(2) 
LIMITS
ON
GOVERNMENT
INTER-
FERENCE.—Government shall not substantially bur-
den the fundamental right of parents to direct the 
upbringing, education, and health care of their chil-
dren without demonstrating that the infringement is 
required by a compelling governmental interest of 
the highest order as applied to the parent and the 
child and is the least restrictive means of furthering 
that compelling governmental interest. The funda-
mental rights protected include, without limitation, 
the following rights and responsibilities: 
(A) To direct the education of the child. 
(B) To direct the moral or religious up-
bringing of the child. 
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(C) To access and review all medical 
records of the child and to make and consent 
to all physical and mental health care decisions 
for the child. 
(3) EFFECT OF THIS ACT ON OTHER RIGHTS.— 
Unless legally waived or legally terminated, parents 
have inalienable rights that are more comprehensive 
than those listed in this section. This Act does not 
prescribe all rights of parents, nor does it preempt 
or foreclose claims or remedies in support of paren-
tal rights that are available under any other Federal 
law, State law, the United States Constitution, or a 
State constitution. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—This section does not apply to a 
parental action or decision that would result in serious 
physical injury to the child or that would end life. 
(c) JUDICIAL REMEDY.—Any parent may raise a vio-
lation of this Act as a claim or a defense in an action 
in a Federal or State court or before an administrative 
tribunal and obtain appropriate relief against a govern-
ment. Standing to assert a claim or defense under this 
section shall be governed by the general rules of standing 
under article III of the Constitution. 
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SEC. 5. ATTORNEYS FEES. 
(a) JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.—Section 722(b) of the 
Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1988(b)) is amended by in-
serting ‘‘the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act,’’ 
before ‘‘title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’’. 
(b) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEEDINGS.—Section 
504(b)(1)(C) of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 
1993’’ and inserting ‘‘any adjudication under the Reli-
gious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 or the Families’ 
Rights and Responsibilities Act’’. 
SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—This Act applies to each Federal 
law, and the implementation of any such law, whether 
statutory or otherwise, and whether adopted before or 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— 
(1) ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.—The protections of 
the fundamental right of parents to direct the up-
bringing, education, and health care of their children 
afforded by this Act are in addition to the protec-
tions provided under Federal law, State law, and the 
State and Federal constitutions. 
(2) BROAD
PROTECTION.—This Act shall be 
construed in favor of a broad protection of the fun-
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