[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 120 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7468-H7469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              PARENTS DAY

  (Mr. SPRATT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was Parents Day for the first time 
ever. A lot of us probably missed it. That is because by now we have a 
day for nearly every purpose under the sun. But this one, Parents Day, 
stands for something important: the importance of parents, our parents, 
in our own lives and in the life of our country.

[[Page H7469]]

  I think one way that Congress can distinguish this occasion and make 
it a special day is this week or next to pass H.R. 2030, a bill called 
parental choice in television. This bill gives parents a very simple 
power, the power to stop their children from watching TV shows that 
they think are too violent or too vulgar. Nationwide 72 percent of the 
people, when polled recently, said there is too much violence on TV.
  An even larger number said they thing that this violence shows up 
again as violence on the streets and violence in the schools.
  Our bills will give parents a device to block violence and sex from 
coming into their homes by TV. When parents have this device built into 
their own TV sets, I think the networks are going to take note. I think 
they are going to be a lot more careful about the violence and 
vulgarity that they script into today's programs. All sorts of groups 
that care about children, from the PTA, to the elementary school 
principals, from psychiatrists to pediatricians have endorsed our bill. 
I urge the Committee on Rules to do the same and allow us the 
opportunity to offer it as an amendment to the telecommunications bill 
when it comes up in the House.

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