[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 526 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 526

   Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers in their 
       children's lives and expressing the sense of the House of 
     Representatives regarding a National Responsible Father's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2000

 Mr. Carson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
              the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers in their 
       children's lives and expressing the sense of the House of 
     Representatives regarding a National Responsible Father's Day.

Whereas 40 percent of children who live in households without a father have not 
        seen their father in at least one 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 half 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 one 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 interests both of children and 
        of 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 in order 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) five times more likely to live in poverty; and

    (2) more likely to--

    G    (A) bring weapons and drugs into the classroom;

    G    (B) commit crime;

    G    (C) drop out of school;

    G    (D) be abused;

    G    (E) commit suicide;

    G    (F) abuse alcohol or drugs; and

    G    (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 million in 1960 to 17 million in 1999, and between 1981 and 1991, 
        the percentage of children living with only one 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 lives;
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 because 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 two caring parents to help them grow up in loving 
        environments;
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; and
Whereas Sunday, June 18, 2000, is Father's Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) recognizes the need to encourage active 
                involvement of fathers in the rearing and development 
                of their children;
                    (B) 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;
                    (C) urges fathers to participate in their 
                children's lives both financially and emotionally;
                    (D) encourages fathers to devote time, energy, and 
                resources to their children;
                    (E) urges fathers to understand the level of 
                responsibility required when fathering a child and to 
                fulfill that responsibility; and
                    (F) is committed to assist absent fathers become 
                more responsible and engaged in their children's lives; 
                and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) a National Responsible Father's Day should be 
                established to encourage fathers around the country to 
                reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's 
                lives, to spend time with their children, and to 
                express their love and support for their children; and
                    (B) the President should issue a proclamation 
                calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
                such a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                 <all>