[Family Research Council] They came by the hundreds, one newspaper said—"perhaps thousands." Some traveled hours, others waited hours, all for the opportunity to protest one of the most outrageous homeschooling bills every introduced: California's AB 2756.

Spilling out into crammed hallways and overflow rooms, families poured into the statehouse just for the opportunity to spend a few minutes speaking out on a measure that would give the government more power over parents who educate at home. Initially, the bill tried to mandate fire inspections of all homeschooling families (which, not surprisingly, firefighters rejected). Then the proposal was amended—this time to force homeschooling families to give out private information about the names and address of homeschooling families.

(Click here to watch the YouTube video documenting how many showed up to defend homeschooling)

Liberals used a nightmarish story to prop up their argument, insisting that the case of the Turpins, parents who used homeschooling as an excuse to torture and starve their kids, meant that greater oversight was necessary. Conservatives fired back. Committee member Kevin Kiley (R) said that using the Turpin family to create law was not good policy. "That is an extreme outlier case. Any data set will have extreme outlier cases." Nearly 1,000 people spoke out in opposition, reporters said, including a candidate for governor, Assemblyman Travis Allen (R). "AB 2756 is absolutely wrong. It must fail. It must fail today," he said. "California's parents and children have the right to the very best education this state can possibly provide."

The line of opponents waiting to testify snaked around the building, many, one outlet pointed out, "with small children in tow." By afternoon's end, only two people from the surrounding area spoke in support of the controversial bill. Hours later, families got the news they'd been waiting for "no member of the committee was willing to make a motion for a vote." The bill was dead. Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, cheered the outpouring of parents from around the state. "All is not lost in California," he said. "When we stand together, we can still make a difference."

FRC's good friend and fellow Watchman on the Wall, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Pastor Jack Hibbs, who helped flag this issue for thousands of Christian families, celebrated on Facebook. "This is a great lesson to everybody—stand for what's right and do the right thing. This is a great victory for homeschoolers everywhere! We live to fight another day!"

Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

DC Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Receives $15k Donation from Conservative Credit Card Company

Pray: Pregnancy Resource Centers Continue to Be in the 'Crosshairs'

Young Woman Tragically Killed by Abortion Pills; Kamala and Media Blame Everyone But the Abortion Industry

Newsom Signs Bills Banning 'Deepfakes' and 'Disinformation' in Elections

Hillary Clinton Wants to Jail Americans 'Engaged in Propaganda'

Parents Petition SCOTUS in Fight for Their Rights in Education

'Your Tax Dollars': CatholicVote Exposes Harris' Support for Funding Gender Transition Surgeries for Kids

Israel Launched Pager Attack on Hezbollah Terrorists over Fears of Being Exposed: Report

Trump NY Rally Car Explosives Story Was 'Falsely Reported,' Says Police Commissioner

Chris Cuomo's Surprising, 'Heartfelt' Apology to President Trump (Video)

American Pastor Freed from Chinese Prison after Nearly 2 Decades in Captivity

Pastor Terrorized, Arrested for 'Reading the Bible Aloud' Scores 'Complete Victory'

Man Expertly Humiliates Alleged FBI Agents and Sends Them Fleeing after They Show Up at His House to Confront Him Over a Social Media Post

TAKEN: California Took Away a Widow's Teenage Daughter to Transition Her

As Harris and the Media Claim That Crime Is Dropping, Statistics Show Just the Opposite

Trump's Golf Partner Speaks Out after 2nd Assassination Attempt: 'I Wish the Whole Country Could Have Witnessed What Happened ... They Would Have Seen a Real Leader'

Trump: Media Spewing Dems' Sick Rhetoric is Causing People to Shoot at Me

Ohio Gov Says the Springfield Bomb Threats Were Made from Overseas and All Were Hoaxes, Debunking the Narrative Blaming Trump

'I Should Not Be Alive': Man Shot in Head While Street Preaching Praises God For 'Miracle' Survival in First Interview

Riley Gaines' Docuseries Reveals 'Children Who've Had Their Bodies Mutilated' as Victims of LGBT Ideology