[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 17 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 17

  Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should 
    develop, promote, and implement voluntary policies to slow the 
                    population growth of the Nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 19, 1999

   Mr. Sawyer (for himself and Mrs. Morella) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should 
    develop, promote, and implement voluntary policies to slow the 
                    population growth of the Nation.

Whereas rapid population growth creates serious problems both in the United 
        States and abroad;
Whereas the people of the United States envision a world with a healthy 
        environment, clean air and water, uncluttered land, ample open space, 
        natural beauty, wilderness, and abundant wildlife, in which the dignity 
        of human life is enhanced;
Whereas rapid population growth increasingly depletes irreplaceable natural 
        resources, including energy resources;
Whereas rapid population growth significantly increases the difficulty and cost 
        of solving the social, economic, and political problems of the United 
        States, and directly contributes to the pollution and degradation of the 
        environment;
Whereas the right of families to choose both the number of children they hope to 
        have and the timing of the births of those children is a fundamental 
        human right;
Whereas the United States has the fastest growing population among developed 
        countries;
Whereas the United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and 
        childbirth among developed countries;
Whereas nearly 60 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, 
        resulting in one of the highest abortion rates among developed 
        countries;
Whereas the Commission on Population Growth and the American Future in 1972 and 
        the President's Council on Sustainable Development in 1996 found that 
        slowing population growth is important to improving the quality of life 
        in the United States;
Whereas delaying efforts to slow population growth will increase the difficulty 
        and cost of achieving that goal; and
Whereas failure to slow population growth voluntarily would result in a 
        significant deterioration of the quality of life for all Americans: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that the United States should 
develop, promote, and implement, at the earliest possible time and by 
voluntary means consistent with human rights and individual conscience, 
the policies necessary to slow the population growth of the United 
States, and thereby promote the future well-being of the people of this 
Nation and of the world.
                                 <all>