State Bills Designed to Strengthen and Celebrate Fathers
SAVE
April 7, 2025
The following 10 bills, designed to strengthen and celebrate fathers, have been introduced in five states around the United States:
Establishes provisions relating to fathership:
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1785825/43389
This bill establishes two key initiatives related to fatherhood in Missouri: first, it designates June as “Fathership Month” to raise awareness about fathers’ importance in children’s lives. More substantively, the bill creates the “Missouri Fathership Project” within the Department of Social Services, which includes a grant program to support agencies and organizations that help fathers reconnect with and support their children. The project aims to empower fathers by helping them build life skills, improve self-esteem, and overcome barriers to family reunification. Agencies receiving grants will hire “fathership project specialists” who serve as one-on-one contacts for fathers seeking to reestablish relationships with their children, acting as liaisons with state agencies and helping fathers develop personalized plans to maintain connections with their kids. The bill establishes a dedicated state treasury fund to support these grants, requires annual reporting on project outcomes, and mandates that the Department of Social Services develop performance metrics to measure the project’s success in improving father involvement and case plan completion.
Establishes provisions relating to duties of the department of social services
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1844913/43389
This bill establishes new reporting requirements and creates an Office of Fatherhood within the Department of Social Services aimed at supporting two-parent families and fathers. The bill mandates annual reports to the General Assembly and Governor starting December 1, 2026, covering multiple areas: actions taken to implement the fourth goal of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program related to two-parent family formation, interdepartmental coordination to identify policies that impact two-parent families, and an analysis of child support guidelines and their potential negative consequences. The bill also establishes an Office of Fatherhood within the department, led by an assistant director, tasked with promoting father-supportive measures across state and local governments. The office will assess government programs’ impact on fatherhood, produce annual reports, and identify barriers to father participation. Additionally, the bill requires the department to partner with organizations to offer grants for programs promoting two-parent family formation, including marriage education, counseling, mediation, and public awareness campaigns. The legislation aims to encourage two-parent family stability by examining and potentially reforming policies that might inadvertently discourage or complicate family maintenance, with a particular focus on supporting fathers and their relationships with children.
Modifies provisions relating to the custody and support of children
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1755884/43384
This bill modifies Missouri’s laws regarding child custody, support, and visitation, with several key provisions. The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that equal or approximately equal parenting time is in the best interests of the child, requiring courts to consider specific factors when determining custody arrangements. It expands child support obligations, allowing support to continue until a child is 22 if they are enrolled in secondary or higher education, with specific requirements for maintaining eligibility. The bill introduces new provisions regarding termination of child support, including automatic termination under certain circumstances and processes for ending support through sworn statements. The legislation also strengthens protections for children by restricting custody and visitation rights for parents convicted of certain offenses involving children and emphasizes the importance of maintaining meaningful contact between children and both parents. Additionally, the bill adds a new provision that a parent who has not maintained contact with a child for six years or more may lose visitation rights. The overall aim is to create more comprehensive and flexible guidelines for child custody, support, and visitation that prioritize the child’s best interests while ensuring both parents have opportunities for meaningful involvement in their child’s life.
Modifies provisions relating to child custody
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1755379/43353
This bill modifies Missouri’s laws relating to child custody, support, and guardianship, with several key provisions. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that equal parenting time is in the best interest of the child, meaning courts should default to shared custody unless specific evidence suggests otherwise. The bill expands requirements for notifying parents about potential custody transfers, relocation, or changes in a child’s residence, including mandatory notification to relatives and interested parties. It provides more detailed guidelines for terminating child support obligations, such as when a child reaches certain age milestones or becomes self-supporting. The legislation also strengthens protections for children by restricting custody for parents convicted of certain child-related criminal offenses and mandates more comprehensive reporting about a child’s living history and potential custody proceedings. Additionally, the bill clarifies procedures for third-party custody and guardianship, prioritizing relatives and establishing more transparent intervention rights for interested parties. The overall intent appears to be creating more comprehensive, transparent, and child-focused processes for managing custody, support, and guardianship arrangements, with an emphasis on maintaining meaningful relationships between children and parents while ensuring child safety.
Directs the office of children and family services to establish a center for fatherhood initiatives to issue grants to any and all initiatives regarding the promotion and advancement of fatherhood, including but not limited to all marginalized fatherhood groups to help expand opportunities to improve parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1771543/43389
This bill directs the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to establish a Center for Fatherhood Initiatives, which will have the primary responsibility of issuing grants to support various fatherhood-related programs. Specifically, the center will focus on promoting and advancing fatherhood initiatives, with a particular emphasis on marginalized fatherhood groups. The grants are intended to help expand opportunities that improve fathers’ parenting knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. The bill requires the OCFS commissioner to develop and implement the necessary rules and regulations for creating, operating, and maintaining the center. By establishing this dedicated center, the bill aims to provide targeted support to fathers across different communities, recognizing the important role fathers play in child development and family dynamics. The act is set to take effect immediately upon passage, allowing for prompt implementation of the new fatherhood initiatives center.
Establishes the office of black male excellence to analyze and provide recommendations regarding issues relating to black males including education, criminal justice, health, mental health, economic opportunity, employment, fatherhood, mentorship, violence, public safety, and quality of life.
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1872359/43389
This bill establishes the Office of Black Male Excellence within the executive department of New York state, to be led by a director appointed by the governor. The office’s primary mission is to comprehensively analyze and provide recommendations on critical issues affecting Black males, including education, criminal justice, health, mental health, economic opportunity, employment, fatherhood, mentorship, violence, public safety, and quality of life. The director will be responsible for appointing staff, serving as a liaison to other state agencies and the public, and submitting an annual report by January 31st to the governor, senate president, and assembly speaker. The annual report must detail the office’s analyses, recommendations, interactions with individuals (disaggregated by demographics and geography), programs offered, and suggestions for improving state and municipal services. The bill specifically requires that the recommendations acknowledge any inequities Black males experience in these various areas, with the goal of addressing systemic challenges and improving outcomes for Black males in New York state. The legislation will take effect immediately upon passage.
HB 780, sponsored primarily by Representative Brenden Jones, aims to “empower North Carolina fathers by funding pro-father organizations like All Pro Dad.” The intent, as expressed in public statements, is to strengthen families, schools, and communities by supporting fathers’ roles, based on the premise that children with involved fathers tend to have better outcomes.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 34; Title 36; Title 37; Title 41; Title 49; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to children.
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1821054/43354
This is an equal shared parenting bill.
Relating to the creation of the Texas Commission for Boys and Men.
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1853998/43389
This bill creates the Texas Commission for Boys and Men, a temporary commission designed to study and address challenges facing boys, male youth, and men in Texas. The commission will consist of 11 members (5 appointed by the governor, 3 by the lieutenant governor, and 3 by the speaker of the house), with members having expertise in areas like economics, education, criminal justice, and mental health. The commission is tasked with conducting a comprehensive study examining issues affecting males, including marriage, family stability, education, workforce participation, health, criminal justice involvement, substance abuse, and death rates. Members will evaluate existing state laws and regulations to identify those potentially hindering male prosperity and develop recommendations for improving outcomes. By November 1, 2026, the commission must publish its study and submit specific policy recommendations to state leadership aimed at promoting male well-being and advancing what the bill describes as “traditional, positive manhood.” The commission will operate without compensation for its members and is set to be automatically abolished on December 31, 2026, with the bill taking effect either immediately upon receiving a two-thirds legislative vote or on September 1, 2025, if immediate passage is not achieved.
Affirming that fatherhood is essential to the development of all children.
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1751211/43389
That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby (1) affirms the importance of fatherhood in caring for, nurturing, and supporting children throughout their lives