Texas Scorecard By Luca Cacciatore May 14, 2025
The proposal would enshrine in the Texas Constitution a legal precedent affirming that parents have a right to the care, custody, and control of their children.Lawmakers in the Texas House have approved a proposal that would enshrine parental rights in the state constitution.
State representatives passed Senate Joint Resolution 34, initially filed by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), in a 112-22-2 vote on Wednesday.
The proposed constitutional amendment would specifically establish that parents—not the state—have an inherent right to the care, custody, and control of their children.
SJR 34 would also restrict interference by the state or a political subdivision unless it is necessary to further a compelling governmental interest and narrowly tailored to achieve that purpose.
In legal theory, compelling governmental interest refers to the ability of the government to temporarily limit individual rights “when it is essential or necessary” to achieve a specific public goal.
The proposal is identical to House Joint Resolution 112 authored by State Reps. James Frank (R–Wichita Falls), Jeff Leach (R–Allen), and Giovanni Capriglione (R–Southlake).
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-lawmakers-pass-constitutional-amendment-enshrining-parental-rights/
