[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 13, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S5057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FATHER'S DAY

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 322, introduced 
earlier today by Senators Bayh, Domenici, and others.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 322) encouraging and promoting 
     greater involvement of fathers in their children's lives and 
     designating June 18, 2000, as ``Responsible Father's Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. ENZI. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, a motion to consider be laid upon the table, and 
any statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 322) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 322

       Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers in 
     their children's lives and designating June 18, 2000, as 
     ``Responsible Father's Day''.
       Whereas 40 percent of children who live in households 
     without a father have not seen their father in at least 1 
     year and 50 percent of such children have never visited their 
     father's home;
       Whereas approximately 50 percent of all children born in 
     the United States spend at least \1/2\ of their childhood in 
     a family without a father figure;
       Whereas nearly 20 percent of children in grades 6 through 
     12 report that they have not had a meaningful conversation 
     with even 1 parent in over a month;
       Whereas 3 out of 4 adolescents report that ``they do not 
     have adults in their lives that model positive behaviors'';
       Whereas many of the United States leading experts on family 
     and child development agree that it is in the best interest 
     of both children and the United States to encourage more two-
     parent, father-involved families to form and endure;
       Whereas it is important to promote responsible fatherhood 
     and encourage loving and healthy relationships between 
     parents and their children in order to increase the chance 
     that children will have two caring parents to help them grow 
     up healthy and secure and not to--
       (1) denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of single 
     mothers, whose efforts are heroic;
       (2) lessen the protection of children from abusive parents;
       (3) cause women to remain in or enter into abusive 
     relationships; or
       (4) compromise the health or safety of a custodial parent;
       Whereas children who are apart from their biological father 
     are, in comparison to other children--
       (1) 5 times more likely to live in poverty; and
       (2) more likely to--
       (A) bring weapons and drugs into the classroom;
       (B) commit crime;
       (C) drop out of school;
       (D) be abused;
       (E) commit suicide;
       (F) abuse alcohol or drugs; and
       (G) become pregnant as teenagers;
       Whereas the Federal Government spends billions of dollars 
     to address these social ills and very little to address the 
     causes of such social ills;
       Whereas violent criminals are overwhelmingly males who grew 
     up without fathers;
       Whereas the number of children living with only a mother 
     increased from just over 5,000,000 in 1960, to 17,000,000 in 
     1999, and between 1981 and 1991 the percentage of children 
     living with only 1 parent increased from 19 percent to 25 
     percent;
       Whereas between 20 percent and 30 percent of families in 
     poverty are headed by women who have suffered domestic 
     violence during the past year and between 40 percent and 60 
     percent of women with children who receive welfare were 
     abused at some time in their life;
       Whereas millions of single mothers in the United States are 
     heroically struggling to raise their children in safe, loving 
     environments;
       Whereas responsible fatherhood should always recognize and 
     promote values of nonviolence;
       Whereas child support is an important means by which a 
     parent can take financial responsibility for a child and 
     emotional support is an important means by which a parent can 
     take social responsibility for a child;
       Whereas children learn by example, community programs that 
     help mold young men into positive role models for their 
     children need to be encouraged;
       Whereas promoting responsible fatherhood is not meant to 
     diminish the parenting efforts of single mothers but rather 
     to increase the likelihood that children will have 2 caring 
     parents to help them grow up in loving environments; and
       Whereas Congress has begun to take notice of this issue 
     with legislation introduced in both the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate to address the epidemic of 
     fatherlessness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the need to encourage active involvement of 
     fathers in the rearing and development of their children;
       (2) recognizes that while there are millions of fathers who 
     serve as a wonderful caring parent for their children, there 
     are children on Father's Day who will have no one to 
     celebrate with;
       (3) urges fathers to participate in their children's lives 
     both financially and emotionally;
       (4) encourages fathers to devote time, energy, and 
     resources to their children;
       (5) urges fathers to understand the level of responsibility 
     required when fathering a child and to fulfill that 
     responsibility;
       (6) is committed to assist absent fathers become more 
     responsible and engaged in their children's lives;
       (7) designates June 18, 2000, as ``National Responsible 
     Father's Day'';
       (8) calls upon fathers around the country to use the day to 
     reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's 
     lives, to spend ``National Responsible Father's Day'' with 
     their children, and to express their love and support for 
     their children; and
       (9) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
     ``National Responsible Father's Day'' with appropriate 
     ceremonies and activities.

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