Democrats Reject Measure to Empower Families in Colorado

(Colorado State Capitol, April 22, 2024) -- Today, Representative Ken DeGraaf (R-Colorado Springs), responded to his resolution, HCR24-1005, Parents’ Bill of Rights, being rejected by the House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee. 

“As a parent myself, it is concerning to me that this legislative body is basically saying they don’t trust parents,” said Rep. DeGraaf. “Parents should be the ultimate authority over their children, not the state,” added DeGraaf.

The resolution would have allowed Colorado voters to have a say in the establishment of a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” within our state. Such rights included the right to direct their child’s education, upbringing, and moral or religious training. 

Similar measures have been passed in states across the country. As of last year, legislation regarding parental rights had been proposed in at least 32 states. In 2021, Florida enacted their “Parents’ Bill of Rights” while Georgia passed their version in 2022. 

Parental rights in Colorado are becoming increasingly diminished through efforts by those who trust a village of bureaucrats the to handle our children more than parents. With the passage of HB24-1309, the Non-Legal Name Changes bill, continues a troubling trend in legislation coming out of the General Assembly that strips parental authority and assigns it to authoritarians of the state to create their Orweillan utopia.