Members of the House State Affairs Committee printed a bill on Tuesday, sponsored by Rep. Janet Trujillo (R-Idaho Falls), that is essentially a parents’ bill of rights. HB 499 clarifies that parents have the primary “right, obligation, responsibility and authority” when it comes to the education of their children; the role of the state is secondary.
Though committee members had many questions about the proposal, when it became clear that this bill would be moved to the House Education Committee for a public hearing, committee members easily supported printing the measure.
The bill lists a hefty list of Senate and House co-sponsors including five members of the Senate Education Committee and two members of the House Education Committee.