WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom, in collaboration with its sister organization ADF Action, announced Tuesday engagement on more than 250 state and federal bills advancing core God-given freedoms during the 2026 legislative session, including dozens that became law.
Along with providing legal analysis, bill review, and guidance on laws that curb radical gender ideology, end institutional censorship, and help secure parental rights, ADF attorneys testified more than 60 times before state legislatures and congressional committees.
“Every American should be free to peaceably live and speak the truth, but that can only happen when our laws respect human dignity, our First Amendment freedoms, and the basic biological differences between the sexes,” said ADF Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, vice president of public policy. “Thanks to the many courageous lawmakers and like-minded allies we’re privileged to work alongside, this legislative year has brought meaningful progress. ADF continues to lead in shaping law and culture and championing the fundamental freedoms that promote human flourishing and affirm the dignity of every person.”
Since 2020, ADF has worked with lawmakers and policy allies on nearly 200 bills that were enacted into law. Many of these legislative wins have set the groundwork for nationwide impact, including at the U.S. Supreme Court, which recently upheld West Virginia’s and Idaho’s laws to protect women’s sports, laws that ADF helped draft.
Of the bills ADF engaged on that became state law this year, highlights include the following:
- Preserving women and girls’ privacy and safety in Tennessee
- Protecting free speech for students and removing anti-religious provisions in Iowa
- Preventing viewpoint-based debanking in South Carolina
- Defunding dangerous gender-transition procedures for prisoners in Missouri
- Safeguarding children from social media exploitation in Idaho
- Protecting student organizations from discrimination in Oklahoma
- Ensuring taxpayer dollars don’t fund Planned Parenthood in Kansas
- Helping religious families adopt and provide foster care in Indiana
- Securing the right of parents to give their kids supplemental religious instruction in Alabama
The federal government relations team has worked diligently with Congress on the reintroduction of a parental rights bill, the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, enshrining the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children as a fundamental right. Congress also reintroduced the Safeguarding Charity Act, an ADF priority bill, codifying the clear and congressionally intended distinctions between what it means to be a non-profit organization and to receive federal financial assistance. The team continues to collaborate with Congress to protect free speech against foreign and domestic censorship, preserve the integrity of women’s sports, defund the abortion industry, and promote religious liberty.
ADF attorneys testified multiple times before Congress on issues such as freedom of speech on college campuses, how the Southern Poverty Law Center has profited from smearing those who hold certain religious and political views, and European extraterritorial threats to the free speech of Americans.
Looking ahead to the 2027 legislative session, ADF attorneys will prioritize several aims:
- Combatting efforts to police and punish the thoughts and opinions of Americans through anti-debanking legislation and protections for online speech.
- Ensuring states have a clear, science-based standard that men cannot access women’s intimate spaces, thus protecting women and girls’ privacy, safety, and dignity.
- Keeping parents in the driver’s seat by empowering them to make the best decisions for their children’s education and upbringing.
More information about the legislative work of ADF is available at https://adflegal.org/government-affairs/.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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