Missouri 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

SB 948 — Provides that parents shall have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children free from government interference

Last action — Informal Calendar S Bills for Perfection

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

Parents have the fundamental right to direct their children's upbringing and education without government interference.

This bill grants parents significant rights regarding their children's education and health care while limiting government interference. It allows parents to access records, consent to medical care, and participate in school affairs.

What this means for you
  • Families: This bill empowers parents to make key decisions about their children's education and health care.

Summary

SS/SB 948 - This act provides that a parent has a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of such parent's child free from government interference. A governmental authority shall not restrict parental rights unless such authority demonstrates that the restriction is essential to further a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling interest. This provision applies to all state and local laws, resolutions, and ordinances and to the implementation of such laws, resolutions, and ordinances. (Section 1.390) The act outlines certain parental rights that are exclusively reserved to a parent without obstruction by or interference from this state, any political subdivision of the state, any governmental entity, or any other institution. Under the act, parents shall have the right to: (1) Direct the education of the child; (2) Access and review all written and electronic educational records of the child; (3) Direct the child's upbringing; (4) Direct the child's moral or religious training; (5) Consent in writing to all physical and mental health care decisions for the child; (6) Access and review all health and medical records of the child; (7) Consent in writing before a biometric scan of the child is made, shared, or stored; (8) Consent in writing before any record of the child's blood or DNA is created, stored, or shared, unless authorized pursuant to a court order; (9) Consent in writing before any governmental authority makes a video or voice recording of the child, unless, without abrogating rights secured under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, such recording is made as part of an event or circumstance described in the act; (10) Be notified promptly if a governmental authority suspects that abuse, neglect, or a criminal offense has been committed against the child, unless such notification is reasonably believed to be likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the child; (11) Opt the child out of any personal analysis, evaluation, survey, or data collection by a school district except what is necessary and essential for establishing a student's educational record for a student of the school district; (12) Excuse a child from school attendance for religious purposes; (13) Participate in parent-teacher organizations and other school organizations that are sanctioned by the board of education of a school district; (14) Receive, upon first contact with a representative of the Department of Social Services, an accurate written itemization containing all details of allegations of child abuse or neglect of the child, excluding only the name of the person who made the allegations; and (15) View a publicly available, easily accessible accounting of all financial transactions conducted with school district funds without being required to submit a formal request or otherwise make direct contact with the school district to access such information. Except for law enforcement personnel, a governmental authority shall not encourage or coerce a child to withhold information from the child's parent; nor shall a governmental authority withhold from a child's parent information that is relevant to the physical, emotional, or mental health of the child. A parent who believes his or her rights have been violated under this act may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding, regardless of whether the government is a party to the proceeding, and obtain appropriate relief against the government, including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs. (Section 1.391) Additionally, each school district shall maintain an easily accessible online record of all money the district receives and spends. Each public school within a school district shall prominently link to the district's financial ledger on the school's own website. (Section 162.192) The act additionally repeals provisions authorizing minors to consent to medical treatment or procedures involving venereal disease and drug or substance abuse. (Section 431.061) This act is similar to HB 2426 (2026). OLIVIA SHANNON

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

10 added · 6 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendments to SB 948 clarify the definition of "school" in the bill to specifically include public schools, charter schools, and qualified schools participating in certain educational programs. This change is important because it ensures that all relevant types of educational institutions are recognized under the provisions of the bill, potentially impacting parents' rights regarding the education of their children. By having a clear definition, the legislation aims to protect parental rights more effectively across various school settings.

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Previous
Latest
5621S05.02S SENATE AMENDMENT NO.
5621S05.04S SENATE AMENDMENT NO.
948 , Page 1 , Section 1.390 , Line 14 , by striking "means a natural";
948 , Page 1 , Section 1.390 , Line 20 , by inserting after all of said line the following:
and further amend lines 15- 17, by striking said lines and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
5.
"shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in section 162.1042.".
As used in this section and section 1.391, "school" means any public school, any charter school, and any qualified school that enrolls any student who participates in the program established in sections 135.712 to 135.719 and sections 166.700 to 166.720.;
and Further amend said section by renumbering the remaining subsections accordingly.
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View plain text versions (3)
  • 2/2/2026 - SA 2 to SS S offered & adopted (Beck)--(5621S05.04S) 2/2/2026 - Adopted View text pdf
  • 2/2/2026 - SA 1 to SS S offered & adopted (Nurrenbern)--(5621S05.02S) 2/2/2026 - Adopted View text Current pdf
  • Introduced 5621S.01I - Introduced pdf

Action History

  1. Informal Calendar S Bills for Perfection

  2. SS S offered (Brattin)--(5621S.05F)

  3. SA 1 to SS S offered & adopted (Nurrenbern)--(5621S05.02S)

  4. SA 2 to SS S offered & adopted (Beck)--(5621S05.04S)

  5. SA 3 to SS S offered (Carter)--(5621S05.09S)

  6. Bill Placed on Informal Calendar

  7. Voted Do Pass S Education Committee

  8. Reported from S Education Committee

  9. Hearing Conducted S Education Committee

  10. Second Read and Referred S Education Committee

  11. S First Read

  12. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 198 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (198)

198 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 198 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights healthcare education health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 948 do?
SS/SB 948 - This act provides that a parent has a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of such parent's child free from government interference. A governmental authority shall not restrict parental rights unless such authority demonstrates that the restriction is essential to further a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling interest. This provision applies to all state and local laws, resolutions, and ordinances and to the implementation of such laws, resolutions, and ordinances. (Section 1.390) The act outlines certain parental rights that are exclusively reserved to a parent without obstruction by or interference from this state, any political subdivision of the state, any governmental entity, or any other institution. Under the act, parents shall have the right to: (1) Direct the education of the child; (2) Access and review all written and electronic educational records of the child; (3) Direct the child's upbringing; (4) Direct the child's moral or religious training; (5) Consent in writing to all physical and mental health care decisions for the child; (6) Access and review all health and medical records of the child; (7) Consent in writing before a biometric scan of the child is made, shared, or stored; (8) Consent in writing before any record of the child's blood or DNA is created, stored, or shared, unless authorized pursuant to a court order; (9) Consent in writing before any governmental authority makes a video or voice recording of the child, unless, without abrogating rights secured under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, such recording is made as part of an event or circumstance described in the act; (10) Be notified promptly if a governmental authority suspects that abuse, neglect, or a criminal offense has been committed against the child, unless such notification is reasonably believed to be likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the child; (11) Opt the child out of any personal analysis, evaluation, survey, or data collection by a school district except what is necessary and essential for establishing a student's educational record for a student of the school district; (12) Excuse a child from school attendance for religious purposes; (13) Participate in parent-teacher organizations and other school organizations that are sanctioned by the board of education of a school district; (14) Receive, upon first contact with a representative of the Department of Social Services, an accurate written itemization containing all details of allegations of child abuse or neglect of the child, excluding only the name of the person who made the allegations; and (15) View a publicly available, easily accessible accounting of all financial transactions conducted with school district funds without being required to submit a formal request or otherwise make direct contact with the school district to access such information. Except for law enforcement personnel, a governmental authority shall not encourage or coerce a child to withhold information from the child's parent; nor shall a governmental authority withhold from a child's parent information that is relevant to the physical, emotional, or mental health of the child. A parent who believes his or her rights have been violated under this act may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding, regardless of whether the government is a party to the proceeding, and obtain appropriate relief against the government, including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs. (Section 1.391) Additionally, each school district shall maintain an easily accessible online record of all money the district receives and spends. Each public school within a school district shall prominently link to the district's financial ledger on the school's own website. (Section 162.192) The act additionally repeals provisions authorizing minors to consent to medical treatment or procedures involving venereal disease and drug or substance abuse. (Section 431.061) This act is similar to HB 2426 (2026). OLIVIA SHANNON
Who sponsors SB 948?
SB 948 is sponsored by Rick Brattin.
What is the current status of SB 948?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 948?
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