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







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1440

     Expressing support for designation of the month of October as 
                  ``National Work and Family Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2008

 Mrs. McCarthy of New York (for herself, Mr. Platts, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. 
  Hirono, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Childers, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
   Hinchey, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Filner, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Ms. Corrine Brown of 
 Florida, and Mr. Towns) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing support for designation of the month of October as 
                  ``National Work and Family Month''.

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, 
        breastfeeding is the most beneficial form of infant nutrition, and the 
        greater the duration of breastfeeding, the lower the odds of pediatric 
        overweight and obesity;
Whereas according to the CDC less than half of mothers who work full time 
        exclusively breastfeed their newborns;
Whereas according to the CDC, support for lactation at work benefits individual 
        families as well as employers via improved productivity and staff 
        loyalty, enhanced public image of the employer, and decreased 
        absenteeism, health care costs, and employee turnover;
Whereas studies show that one-third of children and adolescents in the United 
        States are obese or overweight and healthy lifestyle habits, including 
        healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming 
        obese and developing related diseases;
Whereas studies report that family rituals, such as sitting down to dinner 
        together and sharing activities on weekends and holidays, positively 
        influence children's health and development, and that children who ate 
        dinner with their family every day consumed nearly a full serving more 
        of fruits and vegetables per day than those who never ate family dinners 
        or only did so occasionally;
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.
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