An eastern Idaho lawmaker has introduced a parents’ bill of rights that is intended to elevate families’ rights when it comes to their children’s education.

Members of the House State Affairs Committee voted Tuesday to introduce House Bill 499, which was pushed by Rep. Janet Trujillo, R-Idaho Falls.

The bill states “…parents have the right, obligation, responsibility and authority to participate in their children’s education and that the state’s role is secondary and supportive to the role of a parent.”

If passed into law, the bill would also grant to parents several rights  “without obstruction.” Those include:

• The right to direct the education of a child.
• The right to access and review all of the child’s records.
• The right to direct the moral and religious training of a child.
• The right to make healthcare decisions for a child.
• The right to consent in writing before a biometric scan is made of a child.

Trujillo told Idaho Education News on Tuesday she expects the bill to be rerouted to the House Education Committee now that it has been introduced. She said the education committee’s busy schedule prevented her from bringing it to them for introduction, which is why she routed it through State Affairs.

Although the bill was just introduced, it has already garnered a considerable amount of legislative support. Nineteen lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors, including Sens. Russell Fulcher, Dean Mortimer, Bob Nonini, Monty Pearce, Steven Thayn, and Reps. Steven Harris and Paul Shepherd from the education committees.