Welcome to the Laws section of the Heritage Map. On this page, you can compare and contrast the laws of the fifty states concerning the family. The fewer family protections a state has, the darker it is shaded.
| State | Parental Rights Act | State Capta Protections | Penalty for False Reporting | Method to Challenge Findings | Expunge Unfounded Records | Corporal Discipline Exception |
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| ALABAMA |  |
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| ALASKA | |
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| ARIZONA | |
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| ARKANSAS | |
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| CALIFORNIA | |
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| COLORADO | |
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| CONNECTICUT | |
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| DELAWARE | |
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| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | |
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| FLORIDA | |
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| GEORGIA | |
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| HAWAII | |
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| IDAHO | |
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| ILLINOIS | |
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| INDIANA | |
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| IOWA | |
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| KANSAS | |
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| KENTUCKY | |
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| LOUISIANA | |
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| MAINE | |
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| MARYLAND | |
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| MASSACHUSETTS | |
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| MICHIGAN | |
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| MINNESOTA | |
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| MISSISSIPPI | |
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| MISSOURI | |
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| MONTANA | |
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| NEBRASKA | |
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| NEVADA | |
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| NEW HAMPSHIRE | |
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| NEW JERSEY | |
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| NEW MEXICO | |
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| NEW YORK | |
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| NORTH CAROLINA | |
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| NORTH DAKOTA | |
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| OHIO | |
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| OKLAHOMA | |
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| OREGON | |
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| PENNSYLVANIA | |
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| RHODE ISLAND | |
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| SOUTH CAROLINA | |
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| SOUTH DAKOTA | |
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| TENNESSEE | |
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| TEXAS | |
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| UTAH | |
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| VERMONT | |
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| VIRGINIA | |
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| WASHINGTON | |
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| WEST VIRGINIA | ||||||
| WISCONSIN | |
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| WYOMING | |
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