# 119-hr-650: Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act

119-hr-650, Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] (R-NC); status introduced (as of 2026-09-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-650
- As of: 2026-09-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-650
- Congress: 119
- Title: Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 21
- Policy area: Families
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-05

## Summary

**A federal fundamental right for parents to direct their children's upbringing, education, and health care.** This bill would require the government to justify any substantial burden on that right by showing a compelling interest and using the least restrictive means. - Parents and families: Would recognize parental decisionmaking as a fundamental right, so federal actions that substantially burden parenting must meet the highest level of judicial review. - Education and health decisions: Would explicitly protect the right to direct a child's education and moral or religious upbringing and to access medical records and consent to physical and mental health care. The act excludes actions that would cause serious physical injury or death. - Enforcement and federal agencies: Would apply to all federal laws and their implementation, push courts and agencies to interpret laws in favor of parental authority, and let successful litigants recover attorney's fees under federal fee-shifting rules including 42 U.S.C. 1988(b) and certain administrative adjudications under 5 U.S.C. 504(b)(1)(C).

## Cosponsors (21)

- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6] (R-TN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] (R-LA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2] (R-KY), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1] (R-MN), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Loudermilk, Barry [R-GA-11] (R-GA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7] (R-GA), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Haridopolos, Mike [R-FL-8] (R-FL), 2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McDowell, Addison P. [R-NC-6] (R-NC), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Biggs, Sheri [R-SC-3] (R-SC), 2025-04-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX), 2025-04-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT), 2025-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX), 2025-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19] (R-FL), 2025-06-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2025-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25] (R-TX), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harris, Mark [R-NC-8] (R-NC), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (R-WI), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN), 2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Parents' right to direct kids' care: benefit, high. If enacted, parents’ right to direct a child’s upbringing, education, and health care would be treated as a fundamental right. Government could not substantially burden that right unless it has a compelling interest and uses the least restrictive way. Protected choices would include schooling, mora…
- Parents could sue and recover fees: benefit, medium. If enacted, parents could raise a claim or defense under this Act in state or federal court, or before an agency judge. Courts would apply normal standing rules. If a parent wins in court, they could seek reasonable attorney’s fees under the existing civil rights fee law. If a parent wins in an adm…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.
- 119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act
- 119-hr-45: FIND Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-650 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/650)

## Related
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [119-hres-719: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles Charlie James Kirk.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-719)
- [119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-404)
- [119-hr-45: FIND Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-45)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [119-hr-1301: Death Tax Repeal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1301)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-650 (as of 2026-09-05).