Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Whitehall, and Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-Philadelphia, are circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation that would allow additional, typical childhood activities that have at times resulted in child endangerment or child neglect against parents.

“Under archaic laws and evolving cultural norms, simple activities for kids like playing outside, walking a sibling to school, or being home alone after school are sometimes treated as child neglect or child endangerment,” McNeill and Krajewski wrote in their co-sponsorship memorandum filed Monday. “Merely allowing a child to be outside of constant supervision by an adult has led to frivolous child protection investigations, traumatizing children and families, as well as contributing to a climate of fear in our communities. Even when children are well-cared for and are engaging in activities that not long ago were considered healthy and commonplace–part of what it means to be a kid–today’s parents oftentimes are afraid to let their kids have ordinary freedoms to play and grow as they once enjoyed themselves.”

On Feb. 5, Georgia Senate Majority Caucus Leader Jason Anavitarte, a Republican, was joined by Senators Robert Robertson, a Republican, and Jason Esteves, a Democrat ,to introduce SB 110. The bill declares that children do not need constant supervision and that families should not face neglect or endangerment charges when they make everyday decisions as to when their kids can safely be unsupervised. Florida legislators anticipate introducing a similar bill shortly, with the effort led by Rep. Monique Miller (R.), Sen. Erin Grall (R.), and Sen. Leonard Spencer (D.). According to the organization Let Grow, California is also eyeing a similar bill while Pennsylvania now joins the list of states that are at least considering the legislation.

According to Let Grow, the legislation is at least partly in response to the story of Georgia woman Brittany Patterson. Patterson was charged in 2024 because her son, age 10, took a walk to town without telling anybody. A passerby saw him and called the police. Law enforcement handcuffed Patterson in front of her children and she was also allegedly threatened with child protective services’ involvement, including a demand that she download a tracking device and always know her son’s exact whereabouts.

Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Whitehall, is pictured during a tour of the Monocacy Farm project earlier this summer. McNeill and Rep. Rick Krajewski are proposing to rewrite state laws to allow children more independence without parents facing child neglect or endangerment charges.

Eleven states have already passed legislation similar to the bill McNeill and Krajewski are drafting, including Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and Utah.

“For this reason, we plan to introduce legislation that would permit children to engage in independent activities, within reason, without the potential for parents to be charged with neglect or child endangerment,” McNeill and Krajewski wrote in their memorandum. “The bill establishes commonsense protections that provide families across the state the option to let their children engage in normal behaviors, such as traveling to and from school, including walking, running, or bicycling; engaging in outdoor play; and being home alone for a reasonable amount of time. It is well past time to clarify that it is legal, not abuse or neglect, for children to engage in ordinary childhood activities.”