--- title: HR 1023. State of Georgia; every parent has a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children; provide - CA collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1023 cite_as: HR 1023, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1023 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1023.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1023/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72264 date: 2026-01-27 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1022.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1024.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1023.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1023 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-15 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Todd Jones - Jason Ridley - Matt Dubnik - Josh Bonner - Angie O'Steen text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1023/2025 upstream_id: 2083461 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - parental rights - constitutional amendment - child welfare - ballot referendum - family law --- # HR 1023. State of Georgia; every parent has a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children; provide - CA ## Text House Resolution 1023 By: Representatives Jones of the 25th, Ridley of the 6th, Dubnik of the 29th, Bonner of the 73rd, and O’Steen of the 169th A RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide that every parent has a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children; to provide for related matters; to provide for submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article I, Section I of the Constitution is amended by adding a new Paragraph to read as follows: "Paragraph XXXI. Parental rights. Parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children. This right shall not be construed to authorize or excuse child abuse or neglect, nor to limit the authority of the state to protect the health and safety of children. This Paragraph shall not be construed to apply to a parental action or decision that would intentionally end life." SECTION 2. The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be published and submitted as provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot submitting the above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon the following: "( ) YES Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and ( ) NO control of their children?" All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "Yes." All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "No." If such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall become a part of the Constitution of this state. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution proposes a state constitutional amendment declaring that parents have a fundamental right to direct their children's upbringing, education, care, and control, subject to voter ratification. ### Plain-language summary This resolution proposes adding new language to Article I, Section I of the Georgia Constitution stating that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and control of their children. The new provision specifies that this right does not excuse child abuse or neglect and does not limit the state's authority to protect children's health and safety. It also states the right does not apply to a parental action or decision intended to end life. Because this is a proposed constitutional amendment, it cannot take effect on its own. The resolution directs that the amendment be published and put before Georgia voters on a ballot, with a yes or no question asking whether the Constitution should be amended to add this parental rights language. If voters ratify it, the amendment becomes part of the Georgia Constitution. ### What it does - Proposes adding a new paragraph to Article I, Section I of the Georgia Constitution declaring a fundamental parental right to direct a child's upbringing, education, care, and control. - States the new right does not authorize or excuse child abuse or neglect and does not limit the state's power to protect children's health and safety. - Excludes from the right any parental action or decision intended to end life. - Requires the proposed amendment to be published and submitted to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection under the constitutional amendment process. - Specifies the exact ballot question wording voters would see if the measure is submitted for a statewide vote. ### Who it affects Parents and legal guardians across Georgia, whose rights over raising their children would gain explicit constitutional recognition, and state and local agencies involved in child welfare and protection, whose authority to intervene in cases of abuse, neglect, or safety risks is expressly preserved under the new language. ### Why it matters If ratified, this would embed parental rights language directly in the Georgia Constitution, giving parents a stronger legal basis to challenge government or school actions affecting child-rearing decisions, while the state retains its existing power to intervene in abuse or neglect cases and safety matters. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds a new Paragraph XXXI to Article I, Section I of the Constitution recognizing a fundamental parental right to direct a child's upbringing, education, care, and control. - Section 1 clarifies the right cannot be used to justify child abuse or neglect or to restrict the state's authority to protect children's health and safety. - Section 1 excludes parental actions or decisions intended to end life from the scope of this right. - Section 2 requires the amendment to be published and submitted for statewide ratification under Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution, and sets the specific ballot language voters will see. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-15) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-27) - Sponsors: Todd Jones, Jason Ridley, Matt Dubnik, Josh Bonner, Angie O'Steen - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72264 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1023.md?full=1