Resolution to increase father's family involvement

Item from the Smart Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics Collectio n

SENATE RESOLUTION 322--ENCOURAGING AND PROMOTING GREATER INVOLVEMENT OF
FATHERS IN THEIR CHILDREN'S LIVES AND DESIGNATING JUNE 18, 2000, AS
`RESPONSIBLE FATHER'S DAY' (Senate - June 13, 2000)
[Page: S5032]
<http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2000_record&pag
e=S5032&position=all> GPO's PDF
Mr. BAYH (for himself, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Akaka, Mr.
Ashcroft, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Brownback, Mr. L.
Chafee, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Gorton, Mr. Graham, Mr. Gramm, Mr.
Grams, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kerrey, Ms. Landrieu,
Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. Stevens,
Mr. Thurmond, and Mr. Voinovich) submitted the following resolution;
which was considered and agreed to:

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed
to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 322, introduced earlier today
by Senators Bayh, Domenici, and others.

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). The clerk will report the resolution
by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

A resolution (S. Res. 322) encouraging and promoting greater involvement
of fathers in their children's lives and designating June 18, 2000, as
`Responsible Father's Day.'
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. ENZI. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the
preamble be agreed to, a motion to consider be laid upon the table, and
any statements be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 322) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

S. Res. 322
Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers in their
children's lives and designating June 18, 2000, as `Responsible Father's
Day'.

Whereas 40 percent of children who live in households without a father
have not seen their father in at least 1 year and 50 percent of such
children have never visited their father's home;

Whereas approximately 50 percent of all children born in the United
States spend at least 1/2 of their childhood in a family without a
father figure;

Whereas nearly 20 percent of children in grades 6 through 12 report that
they have not had a meaningful conversation with even 1 parent in over a
month;

Whereas 3 out of 4 adolescents report that `they do not have adults in
their lives that model positive behaviors';

Whereas many of the United States leading experts on family and child
development agree that it is in the best interest of both children and
the United States to encourage more two-parent, father-involved families
to form and endure;

Whereas it is important to promote responsible fatherhood and encourage
loving and healthy relationships between parents and their children in
order to increase the chance that children will have two caring parents
to help them grow up healthy and secure and not to--
(1) denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of single mothers, whose
efforts are heroic;
(2) lessen the protection of children from abusive parents;
(3) cause women to remain in or enter into abusive relationships; or
(4) compromise the health or safety of a custodial parent;

Whereas children who are apart from their biological father are, in
comparison to other children--
(1) 5 times more likely to live in poverty; and
(2) more likely to--
(A) bring weapons and drugs into the classroom;
(B) commit crime;
(C) drop out of school;
(D) be abused;
(E) commit suicide;
(F) abuse alcohol or drugs; and
(G) become pregnant as teenagers;

Whereas the Federal Government spends billions of dollars to address
these social ills and very little to address the causes of such social
ills;

Whereas violent criminals are overwhelmingly males who grew up without
fathers;

Whereas the number of children living with only a mother increased from
just over 5,000,000 in 1960, to 17,000,000 in 1999, and between 1981 and
1991 the percentage of children living with only 1 parent increased from
19 percent to 25 percent;

Whereas between 20 percent and 30 percent of families in poverty are
headed by women who have suffered domestic violence during the past year
and between 40 percent and 60 percent of women with children who receive
welfare were abused at some time in their life;

Whereas millions of single mothers in the United States are heroically
struggling to raise their children in safe, loving environments;

Whereas responsible fatherhood should always recognize and promote values
of nonviolence;
Whereas child support is an important means by which a parent can take
financial responsibility for a child and emotional support is an
important means by which a parent can take social responsibility for a
child;

Whereas children learn by example, community programs that help mold
young men into positive role models for their children need to be
encouraged;

Whereas promoting responsible fatherhood is not meant to diminish the
parenting efforts of single mothers but rather to increase the likelihood
that children will have 2 caring parents to help them grow up in loving
environments; and
Whereas Congress has begun to take notice of this issue with legislation
introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to address
the epidemic of fatherlessness: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That
the Senate--

(1) recognizes the need to encourage active involvement of fathers in the
rearing and development of their children;

(2) recognizes that while there are millions of fathers who serve as a
wonderful caring parent for their children, there are children on
Father's Day who will have no one to celebrate with;

(3) urges fathers to participate in their children's lives both
financially and emotionally;
(4) encourages fathers to devote time, energy, and resources to their
children;

(5) urges fathers to understand the level of responsibility required when
fathering a child and to fulfill that responsibility;

(6) is committed to assist absent fathers become more responsible and
engaged in their children's lives;

(7) designates June 18, 2000, as `National Responsible Father's Day';

(8) calls upon fathers around the country to use the day to reconnect and
rededicate themselves to their children's lives, to spend `National
Responsible Father's Day' with their children, and to express their love
and support for their children; and

(9) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling upon the
people of the United States to observe `National Responsible Father's
Day' with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

| Smart Marriages Archive | New Divorce Statistics and Studies Blog | Older Divorce Statistics Collection Archive |