Rupp: Resolution targets UN Treaty on Parenting, Race to the Top

Senator Scott T. Rupp Files Legislation Calling For Federal Rejection of U.N. “Rights of the Child” Treaty

American parental rights could be trumped by government

In another effort to protect the American family, today I filed legislation that called for the rejection of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) treaty because it would give the government authority over parental decisions.

Federal officials have recently been pushing for the ratification of the UNCRC treaty, which was drafted in the 1990s. The United States has been one of the last countries to sign, as many officials have stated the treaty includes provisions that are in direct conflict with the U.S. Constitution and the Missouri Constitution.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 59, tells the federal government that signing the treaty represents an abandonment of the ultimate sovereignty of the United States. SCR 59 states that only American legislatures and the people themselves have the moral authority to make law for our country, including important parental decisions such as corporal discipline and religious upbringing.

First our federal government sold out our right to choose our own health care, and now they are selling out our rights as parents to make decisions for our child. It’s really frightening, because these are the freedoms we hold dear and the federal government is going out of it’s way to eliminate them, one by one.

According to SCR 59, the United Nations tribunal acknowledges that the treaty:

1. Bans all corporal discipline, including reasonable spanking by parents.
2. Gives the government authority on a broad scope of parental decisions without proving that parents are unfit or have harmed the child.
3. Allows children and the government to override reasonable and ordinary decisions concerning religious upbringing of the child.
4. Allows the government the ability to review any parental decision concerning the education of the child, even if that decision fully complies with Missouri law.
5. Requires socialized spending programs that will bankrupt America.
6. Grants children a legally enforceable right to leisure and other rights that are contrary to American traditions and common sense.

There is a reason that national leaders from both parties have not signed this treaty, and it’s because American citizens know what is best for their children. No matter what your personal beliefs are, I think that most Americans do the best they can for their kids. They don’t need the whole world, or even worse, the government, to tell them differently.

“Race To The Top” Oversight Bill Passed by Full Senate

Senator Rupp’s Bill Ensures Local Control of Education

The Missouri Senate today passed my legislation that keeps any “Race To The Top” education funding under the oversight of the Missouri Legislature. The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives.

The “Race to the Top” fund is a federal grant program from the U.S. Department of Education that is set to distribute nearly $4 billion to the nation’s schools. If its application is approved, Missouri could receive $150 million to $250 million in education funding. While Missouri did not make it past the first round, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is attempting to secure funds in the second round by strengthening the state’s application.

Included in Senate Bill 976 is language that establishes a special fund in the budget that holds any grant dollars the state is awarded. DESE would have to provide the details of the grant, the reforms it would enact, and the consequences of enacting the terms of the grant.

With the creation of this holding fund, we make sure that Missouri is not bound to strings that are not in line with our vision of education reform. We will maintain the long-term interest and our ability to control the education policy at the local level.

As always, if you have any questions about this week’s column or any other matter involving state government, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach my office by phone at (866) 271-2844.