During the week of July 20, members of The Family Foundation’s team attended the 2026 Social Conservative Conference (SoConCon) in Washington, D.C. Every year, pro-family and pro-life organizations gather at SoConCon to discuss recent policy and legal wins, ongoing challenges, areas for improvement, and future policy battles. We were honored to be joined by three members of the General Assembly who participated in Family Policy Alliance’s Statesmen Academy: Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, Rep. Candy Massaroni, and Rep. Marianne Proctor. The Statesmen Academy trains state legislators to defend biblical values, govern with wisdom, and stand firm for life, family, and freedom in the halls of government.
The conference also serves as an opportunity for The Family Foundation and our allied state family policy councils from nearly 40 states to share updates on our work in our respective states, along with opportunities to connect and network with national allies including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, Heritage Foundation, American Family Association, and numerous others.
One of the biggest policy issues that the conference covered was the ongoing battle to protect kids in the digital age. Specifically, speakers from American Family Association, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Digital Childhood Institute, and other organizations covered how to navigate the First Amendment and federal law when crafting legislation to protect kids online and how to identify when big tech is attempting to hijack the legislative process to avoid accountability. Recent court victories in the Fifth and Sixth Circuits have provided a path forward in this space.
Another session provided updates on the new federal school choice tax credit program that will go into effect in 2027. This program will bring much needed education freedom to Kentucky families. Coincidentally, KY Secretary of State Michael Adams officially opted in to the program and submitted the regulations for participation in the tax credit scholarships last week. The federal rules will be finalized sometime this fall.
We also heard updates on the latest First Amendment battles across the country. The U.S. Supreme Court has given us major free speech victories in recent years, including in the Chiles case that struck down bans on Christian counseling. And an attorney from Alliance Defending Freedom discussed their efforts to combat censorship, unconstitutional “hate speech” laws, and debanking.
Our team will take these lessons into account as we prepare and adjust for the 2027 General Assembly in Frankfort.
Finally, we heard from Dr. William Lile, founder of ProLifeDoc, about the current state of the fight against abortion. He exposed the tragic reality that abortion numbers are higher today than before the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. This fact is largely due to the easy availability of the abortion death pill, thanks to federal regulations from the Biden Administration that the Trump Administration has preserved. Dr. Lile’s presentation was a reminder that the battle for the right to life is not close to being over, and we must double our effects to end the evil of abortion once and for all.