[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1440 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                    September 27, 2008.
Whereas according to the report by WorldatWork titled ``Attraction and 
        Retention'', the quality of workers' jobs and the supportiveness of 
        their workplaces are key predictors of job productivity, job 
        satisfaction, commitment to employers, and retention;
Whereas employees who have more access to flexible work arrangements enabling 
        employees to balance family and work are significantly more satisfied 
        with their jobs, are more satisfied with their lives, and experience 
        less interference between their jobs and family lives than those 
        employees who have less access to flexible work arrangements, according 
        to the Families and Work Institute 2002 National Study of the Changing 
        Workforce;
Whereas according to the 2004 report ``Overwork in America'', employees who are 
        able to effectively balance family and work responsibilities are less 
        likely to report making mistakes, or feel resentment toward employers 
        and coworkers;
Whereas employees who are able to effectively balance family and work 
        responsibilities tend to feel more successful in their relationships 
        with their spouses, children, and friends, and tend to feel healthier;
Whereas 85 percent of United States wage and salaried workers have immediate, 
        day-to-day family responsibilities outside of their jobs;
Whereas research by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center in 2000 revealed that men 
        in their 20s and 30s, and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, identified 
        the most important job characteristic as being a work schedule that 
        allows them to spend time with their families;
Whereas according to the 2006 American Community Survey, 47 percent of wage and 
        salaried workers are parents with children under the age of 18 who live 
        with them at least half-time;
Whereas job flexibility often allows parents to be more involved in their 
        children's lives, and research reveals that parental involvement is 
        associated with children's higher achievement in language and 
        mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower 
        dropout rates;
Whereas the 2000 Urban Working Families study revealed that a lack of job 
        flexibility for working parents negatively affects children's health in 
        ways that range from children being unable to make needed doctors' 
        appointments, to children receiving inadequate early care, leading to 
        more severe and prolonged illness;
Whereas according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, 
        less than half of mothers who work full time exclusively breastfeed 
        their newborns, although support for lactation at work benefits 
        individual families as well as employers via improved productivity and 
        staff loyalty, and decreased absenteeism and employee turnover;
Whereas according to the CDC, breastfeeding is the most beneficial form of 
        infant nutrition, and the greater the duration of breastfeeding, the 
        lower the odds of pediatric obesity;
Whereas studies report that family rituals, such as sitting down to dinner 
        together, positively influence children's health and development, and 
        that healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical 
        activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related 
        diseases;
Whereas furthermore, unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the 
        largest source of long-term care services in the United States for 
        elderly United States citizens and are estimated by the Department of 
        Health and Human Service to reach 37,000,000 caregivers by 2050, an 
        increase of 85 percent from 2000, as an increasing number of baby 
        boomers reach retirement age in record numbers; and
Whereas the month of October would be an appropriate month to designate as 
        ``National Work and Family Month'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Work and Family Month'';
            (2) recognizes the importance of balancing work and family to job 
        productivity and healthy families;
            (3) recognizes that an important job characteristic is a work 
        schedule that allows employees to spend time with families;
            (4) supports the goals and ideas of ``National Family and Work 
        Month'', and urges public officials, employers, employees, and the 
        general public to work together to achieve more balance between work and 
        family; and
            (5) requests that the President issue a proclamation calling upon 
        the people of the United States to observe ``National Work and Family 
        Month'' with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.