Michigan bills would help parents give kids reasonable independence

This testimony was given to the Michigan Senate Housing and Human Services Committee.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee,

I am a managing director and a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation, a national non-profit think tank that provides policy research, ideas, and technical assistance on a wide range of policy issues. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments regarding Michigan Senate Bill 547 and Senate Bill 548, also known as the “Reasonable Childhood Independence” bills.

Reason Foundation values and is interested in fostering an environment where parents are free to grant the independence children need to develop and thrive. If given the proper space and freedom to learn, we believe children develop their sense of individualism, making them more resilient and independent. As a father of three, I see how my children thrive when they are free to explore and learn on their own.

As most parents can attest, striking the right balance between childhood independence and appropriate adult supervision can be a challenge, especially when neglect and endangerment laws are open-ended and vaguely enforced. Many parents are afraid to grant their children the freedom to learn when there is no clear legal boundary communicating when the state would see the need for intervention. Since laws are so open-ended, some parents are afraid of letting their children walk home from school, not because they believe it to be unsafe but because of the potential for intervention from government agencies if this is reported by other members of the community or wrongly perceived to be negligent parenting. There is no better judge for what level of independence a child needs than their parents, and parents need the freedom, and societal and legal support to make these crucial decisions.

Senate Bills 547 and 548 would directly address this legal ambiguity by eliminating subjective language in Michigan’s current neglect and criminal endangerment laws. The bills would establish clear allowances for specific activities, like kids traveling to or from school, playing outdoors, and remaining at home alone for reasonable periods, while still sanctioning clearly harmful neglect or endangerment.

Very similar legislation has passed with either unanimous or bipartisan support in several states, including Colorado, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Utah, Connecticut, Montana, and Oklahoma. Reason Foundation’s analysis concludes these two bills would be important steps in fostering childhood independence and parental rights in Michigan.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to submit testimony. I would gladly respond to any questions the committee may have about this subject.

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