Legislative Session Off to a Good Start!

Dear Champion of Parental Rights -

We can’t rest now.

With the achievement of two major goals, this legislative session is off to a great start. But our work is only just beginning.

The Resolutionary Campaign we revealed last August called for the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) to be introduced early in this Congress, and we have hit that target. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the PRA on January 30, 2019 with the support of more than a dozen cosponsors. This is a huge step.

Our other goal was the introduction of PRA resolutions in as many states as possible, and that is happening, too, thanks to the tremendous work of some exciting new volunteers (and staff!).

In short, January brought tremendous victories.

As a result, we see amazing opportunities before us, made possible through careful planning, hard work, invested time, and the generosity of partners like you. Your continued support will help us keep this momentum.

And we’re going to need it.

On Capitol Hill, two distinct parties who cannot seem to work together tend to relegate our issue, our proposed Amendment, to one side or another—and, as a result, only that side will support it.

We know better. We know parental rights is neither a Democrat issue nor a Republican issue. Rather, it affects us all.

From inner city minority single moms to rural homeschooler farming couples, and every demographic in between, parental rights are crucial to your everyday life.

Those broken by Child Protective Services (CPS), or raising a child with a disability or a chronic illness, or seeking alternative sources of education; those too poor to defend themselves in court, or working two or three jobs to make ends meet, or raising their child in a faith the local government seems unwilling to accept…. We know we are all in this together!

And the good news is America knows it, too.

Polling indicates that more than 90 percent of all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, agree with the traditional position that, absent a showing of abuse or neglect, parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.

For this reason, we are not a Democratic or Republican organization; this is not a Democrats- or Republicans-only cause.

Families of every stripe are best served when parents are protected from government intrusion and allowed to make the best decisions on behalf of their children!

The bottom line: Your children deserve to be cared for by you—the people who love them most.

We all understand that. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much you make, or who you voted for on Election Day.

No demographic matters as much as your children do.

That’s why this Amendment is so important. It’s not just about protecting our rights, but protecting our families. It’s about protecting our children. Still, the fact that we are trying to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution means a simple majority vote in Congress is not enough. We need a two-thirds vote in the U.S. House and two-thirds in the Senate.

We will never reach those numbers with only one party’s support.

The bad news is that, unfortunately, experience shows that Congress lacks our understanding on this issue. They don’t see it as the full-spectrum, bipartisan issue we know it to be.

And that’s why these January victories—early Amendment introduction and the promotion of parental rights resolutions—are so important.

First, resolutions demonstrate to a stubborn Congress that people in every political party support the Parental Rights Amendment.

In 2011-2013, our early resolution efforts resulted in strong bipartisan support at the state level, including in Louisiana, where a split legislature voted overwhelmingly—in both houses—to call for the Parental Rights Amendment.

The resolutions we are promoting today can send this same message to Congress.

Second, getting the PRA introduced this early maximizes our time to gather additional cosponsors, push for committee hearings, and otherwise advance the Amendment on Capitol Hill.

Perhaps most significantly, this early start allows us to take advantage of an opportunity from this most recent Congressional election: several freshman lawmakers from the Democratic party have voting histories and constituencies back home that are favorable to parental rights.

This means there’s a chance they will support our Amendment.

One of these was the first Democrat to cosponsor a parental rights bill in his state legislature. Once he signed on, other Democrats followed, and the bill now enjoys the kind of widespread bipartisan support we need for the PRA.

That’s why it’s so important to secure the support of these freshman Democrats in Congress, as well. This new class offers a unique opportunity to finally build a bridge across the proverbial aisle.

We believe that, as in the case of that state bill, once one Democrat signs on, many will follow.

Towards those ends, January has given us a terrific start in every respect, and we are thankful for what has been accomplished.

The early introduction of the Amendment provides the bill number state resolutions needed in order to move forward.

It also gives us time to reach out to new members of Congress—including Democrats—and bring some of them on board in this term.

And the early introduction comes from a passionate champion of your rights, Congressman Jim Banks, who is actively pursuing support for our effort among his colleagues from either party.

All the pieces are in place, and the doors lie open before us.

But we still need your support to advance.

Would you take a moment to make your best gift of $25.00, $50.00, or even $100.00 today? With your support we can see victories upon victories in the days and weeks ahead.

Having seen so many resolutions introduced, we want to see as many of them as possible cross the finish line. Only then do they send the clear message to Congress that the states support your rights.

And every Democratic freshman in Congress offers a potential victory as well. For that matter, every new cosponsor, regardless of party, strengthens the chances of the Parental Rights Amendment in Congress.

Your investment in this cause has fueled our Resolutionary Campaign through these crucial January accomplishments.

Please double down on this winning strategy, and let’s push these victories all the way to Amendment adoption!

Sincerely,

James R. Mason, Esq.
President

P.S. — January has been a month of significant victories, paving the way for a powerful legislative session both in Congress and the States. Your generous investment today will allow us to build on that foundation to protect our families—our children!—by preserving parental rights.