HB 2426 Missouri House · 2026 Regular Session

Establishes provisions relating to parental rights

HB 2426 establishes that parents have fundamental rights to direct their child's education, healthcare, and upbringing without government interference. It grants specific rights including choosing schools (public, private, homeschool, or faith-based), accessing educational and medical records, consenting to medical treatments (except abortions, which require parental consent), and opting children out of school data collection. The bill prohibits government restrictions unless necessary to serve a compelling interest, with explicit exceptions for life-threatening medical care and child safety. It applies to all state and local laws and allows parents to seek legal remedies if their rights are violated.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Dec 15, 2025 Last action Apr 30, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Committee Substitute → Perfected · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was finalized in its perfected form, updating the bill number from HCS 4672H.02C to 4672H.02P and changing the count of new sections from four to five. The changes include adding a new section 161.854 to the list of enacted laws and retaining a definition of 'child' that excludes individuals committed to the Department of Corrections.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded by adding Section 161.854 to the list of new sections enacted, increasing the total number of new sections from four to five.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from 4672H.02C to 4672H.02P to reflect its perfected status.

SCOPE

The count of new sections was updated from four to five, and Section 161.854 was added to the list of enacted sections.

DEFINITION

Two lines defining 'child' regarding criminal proceedings were removed from the context view but retained in the final text, indicating no substantive change to the definition itself.

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 10 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended from an 'Introduced' version to a 'House Committee Substitute' version, adding two new sections (162.192 and 431.061) and significantly expanding parental rights. The changes clarify that parental rights are exclusive and cannot be obstructed by the state or other entities, while also adding specific exceptions for biometric scans and DNA records required by law.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include four new sections instead of three, and the applicability of parental rights was broadened to explicitly cover all state and local laws, resolutions, and ordinances.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section (162.192) establishing that all parental rights are exclusively reserved to parents without obstruction or interference from the state, political subdivisions, or other governmental entities.

Added a new subsection requiring that any governmental interference with parental rights be subject to judicial review by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Modified the rules regarding biometric scans and DNA records to include exceptions where collection is required under chapter 43 or chapter 589 of the state laws.

Updated the list of exceptions for video and voice recordings to include a reference to the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Revised the list of exceptions for video and voice recordings to remove specific categories like 'security or surveillance' and 'photo identification card' from the list of situations where consent is not required, replacing them with broader language.

Changed the wording regarding parental notification of abuse or criminal offenses to remove the condition that notification must not endanger the child's safety.

Updated the list of educational choices to include 'family paced education school' and removed 'FPE school'.

Changed the effective date language to apply to laws and ordinances adopted before or after August 28, 2026, rather than specifying 'on or after'.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'parent' to reference a specific subdivision in another section of the law (211.021) rather than listing the definition inline.

Expanded the definition of 'child' to explicitly exclude individuals who have been adjudicated as adults in criminal proceedings and committed to the custody of the department of corrections.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 5 NOES: 2 PRESENT: 0

lower

Apr 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Apr 29, 2026

Committee

Referred: Fiscal Review(H)

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Perfected with Amendments (H) - HA 1 adopted

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Adopted (H)

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Laid Over (H) - HA 1 adopted

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 9 NOES: 3 PRESENT: 0

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Committee

Referred: Rules - Legislative(H)

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 11 NOES: 3 PRESENT: 1

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

Referred: Children and Families(H)

lower

Dec 15, 2025

Introduced

Prefiled (H)

lower

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors