[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 86 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7161-S7162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL FATHER'S RETURN DAY

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, Senator Lieberman and I today introduce a 
resolution which asks that June 20, Father's Day, be further designated 
as ``National Father's Return Day.'' The purpose of this resolution is 
to highlight the fact that fathers are needed in the family.
  I heard Governor George Bush speak this past weekend in New 
Hampshire, and one of the things that really resonated with me was that 
he said the most important job we have is not being a Governor or being 
a Senator or being head of an assembly line or working at a restaurant; 
the most important job we have is to be good moms and pops. That is 
absolutely true. Unfortunately, in our country today, one out of every 
three children is currently in a household without a father. That has a 
devastating impact on the manner in which these children perceive life 
and the manner in which these children are raised.
  We all know that in this time of difficult economic activity, where, 
unfortunately, it does take two parents working to raise a family in 
many households, there is great stress on the family to begin with and 
there is always the question of enough family time. There is always the 
question of having enough time to be with our children and have our 
children get from their parents the values and the ideas that are so 
critical.
  Coupled with the fact that so many children are being raised in 
households where there is no father, it is absolutely critical that we 
refocus ourselves on the importance of the father in the household and 
that we say to those fathers who maybe have left the household and are 
not spending the type of time they should with their children, who are 
not coming back as regularly as they should or not taking the extra 
initiatives, the extra time it takes to be with their children during 
periods when it is convenient for both the mother and the father: Think 
about this, think about what you are doing, and think about your 
obligations as a father.
  So this initiative which we put forward today, this resolution to 
designate June 20 as National Father's Return Day, has as its purpose 
to highlight this fact and to say to fathers throughout our Nation, 
think about your opportunity as a father, not only fathers outside the 
home but fathers who are still in the nuclear family,

[[Page S7162]]

think about your responsibilities and make sure you are living up to 
that obligation, because as a Nation I think we must all understand we 
are never going to be able to be a nation of values, a nation of moral 
strength, a nation of purpose, unless we give our children, the next 
generation, a sense of purpose, a sense of values, and a sense of moral 
strength. The father plays a major role in accomplishing that.
  So this resolution, which I will not read in its entirety, although 
it is an excellent resolution, I must admit, has as its resolve clause:

       Be it Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes that the creation of a better United States 
     requires the active involvement of fathers in the rearing and 
     development of their children;
       (2) urges each father in the United States to accept his 
     full share of responsibility for the lives of his children, 
     to be actively involved in rearing his children, and to 
     encourage the emotional, academic, moral, and spiritual 
     development of his children;
       (3) urges the States to hold fathers who ignore their legal 
     responsibilities accountable for their actions and to 
     pursue more aggressive enforcement of child support 
     obligations;
       (4) encourages each father to devote time, energy, and 
     resources to his children, recognizing that children need not 
     only material support, but also, more importantly, a secure, 
     affectionate, family environment.
       (5) urges governments and institutions at every level to 
     remove barriers to father involvement and enact public 
     policies that encourage and support the efforts of fathers 
     who do want to become more engaged in the lives of their 
     children;
       (6) to demonstrate the commitment of the Senate to those 
     critically important goals, designates June 20, 1999, as 
     ``National Father's Return Day'';
       (7) calls on fathers around the country to use the day to 
     reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's 
     lives, to spend National Father's Return Day with their 
     children, and to express their love and support for them.

  Then it requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on 
the people of the United States to observe National Father's Return Day 
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
  I certainly appreciate the chance to participate in this resolution, 
which was the idea and the initiative of the Senator from Connecticut, 
who has so many good ideas in the area of trying to improve family 
values in our Nation.
  So it is a pleasure for me to join with him on this resolution, to be 
a cosponsor of this resolution, and participate in offering it today.
  I reserve the remainder of my time.

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