[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1598 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1598

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2010

 Mrs. McCarthy of New York (for herself and Mr. Platts) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


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

Whereas, according to a report entitled ``Attraction and Retention'' published 
        by an organization called WorldatWork, 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, according to a 2008 report by the Families and Work Institute entitled 
        National Study of the Changing Workforce, employees with a high level of 
        work-life integration are, compared to employees with moderate or low 
        levels of work-life integration, more highly engaged and less likely to 
        look for a new job in the next year, and also enjoy better overall 
        health, better mental health, and lower levels of stress;
Whereas, according to a 2004 report entitled ``Overwork in America'', employees 
        who are able to effectively balance family and work responsibilities are 
        less likely to report making mistakes or feeling resentment toward 
        employers and coworkers;
Whereas, according to the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings 
        released by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's 
        Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation, work-life 
        balance and a family-friendly culture are among the key drivers of 
        employee engagement and satisfaction in the Federal workforce;
Whereas finding a good work-life balance is important for workers in multiple 
        generations, as indicated by a 2009 survey entitled ``Great 
        Expectations! What Students Want in an Employer and How Federal Agencies 
        Can Deliver It'', which found that attaining a healthy work-life balance 
        was an important career goal of 66 percent of respondents, and a 2008 
        study entitled ``A Golden Opportunity'', which found that workers 
        between the ages of 50 and 65 are a strong source of experienced talent 
        for the Federal workforce and that nearly 50 percent of these potential 
        workers find flexible work schedules ``extremely appealing'';
Whereas, according to research by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center in 2000, 
        men in their 20s and 30s and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s identified 
        as the most important job characteristic a work schedule that allows 
        them to spend time with their families;
Whereas, according to research by the Sloan Center for Aging and Work, a 
        majority of workers age 53 and older attribute their success as an 
        employee, by a great or moderate extent, to job flexibility, and also 
        report that, to a great extent, job flexibility contributes to an 
        overall higher quality of life;
Whereas employees who are able to effectively balance family and work 
        responsibilities feel healthier and more successful in their 
        relationships with their spouses, children, and friends;
Whereas 85 percent of United States wage and salaried workers have immediate, 
        day-to-day family responsibilities outside of their jobs;
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 parental involvement is associated with higher 
        child achievement in language and mathematics, improved behavior, 
        greater academic persistence, and lower dropout rates;
Whereas a 2000 study entitled Urban Working Families revealed that a lack of job 
        flexibility for parents negatively affects child health by preventing 
        children from making needed doctors' appointments and receiving adequate 
        early care, which makes illnesses more severe and prolonged;
Whereas, from 2001 to early 2008, 1,700,000 active duty troops have served in 
        Iraq and 600,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve (133,000 on 
        more than one tour) have been called up to serve, creating a need for 
        policies and programs to help military families adjust to the realities 
        that come with having a family member in the military;
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, employer policies that encourage breastfeeding 
        benefit individual families as well as employers by improving 
        productivity and staff loyalty, enhancing the employer's public image, 
        and reducing absenteeism, health care costs, and employee turnover;
Whereas studies show that a third of children and adolescents in the United 
        States are obese or overweight and that 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 unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source 
        of long-term care for elderly United States citizens, and the Department 
        of Health and Human Services estimates the number of such caregivers to 
        reach 37,000,000 by 2050, an increase of 85 percent from 2000, as 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 ideals of National Work and 
        Family 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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