[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H3487-H3492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on Education and the Workforce be discharged from further consideration
of the resolution (H. Res. 442) supporting responsible fatherhood and
encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their
children, especially on Father's Day, and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Nebraska?
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object,
and I do not intend to object, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska
to explain the resolution.
Mr. OSBORNE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, as we approach the upcoming celebration of Father's Day
this Sunday, June 16, I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak on
behalf of this resolution before us on the importance of fatherhood in
this country. H.R. 442, introduced by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Sullivan), urges all Americans to support responsible fatherhood and to
encourage greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their
children, especially on Father's Day.
Over 36 years in my last profession, I worked with a great many young
men who were fatherless. I saw directly the results of that
fatherlessness, because if your dad does not care enough to stick
around sometimes, even to see what you look like, there is a void in
your life and sometimes you try to fill that void with all the wrong
things. The number of children living in households without fathers has
tripled over the last 40 years from just over 5 million in 1960 to
almost 18 million today, which represents an increase of 350 percent.
According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, 24 million children
live without their biological fathers at the present time. Nearly one-
half of our children will live at least part of their childhood without
a father.
The problems associated with fatherlessness are far-reaching. The
National Fatherhood Initiative cites numerous studies as it relates the
following: a child living in a fatherless home is five times more
likely to live in poverty than one who lives in a home with a father.
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There is a much higher incidence of teenage pregnancy, suicide rates
are much higher, they are two to three times more likely to commit a
crime, much more likely to drop out of school, much more likely to get
involved with drugs and alcohol, and I think, most importantly, and
something that a lot of people miss, a fatherless daughter suffers just
as much or more than a fatherless young man. It would appear that
daughters are much more likely to be abused or assaulted if they do not
have a father. A father acts as a protector for his daughter.
We need fathers to be active in their children's lives to instill
values and act as role models. Fathers have a unique role to play in
their children's lives to provide affirmation, affection and advice.
We have had a lot of conversation over the last several months about
heroes. We hear the term quite often. I would like to point out another
aspect, which I think has to do with persons being a hero.
Sometimes it is a person that gets up every morning and goes to work.
It is a person who honors their marriage vows. It is a person who
honors his commitment to his children. So, sometimes heroism is not
something that is done in a moment of great danger, but it is something
that is acted out on the stage of life over a long period of time.
We also would like to mention an anecdote here, which I think is
accurate. This was kind of interesting. There was a chaplain who worked
in a prison for men, and on Mother's Day the chaplain was asked by one
of the inmates to get a card for Mother's Day. A greeting card company
offered to provide several boxes of cards. So the word got around and
nearly all of the inmates picked up a card and sent it to their mother
on Mother's Day.
So they thought they would repeat the process on Father's Day.
Father's Day came, they had a box of cards, and, strangely enough,
according to this story, not one single inmate picked up a card to send
to his father. The point was that probably in almost every case the
father was absent, the father had abrogated his responsibility.
So I think on this particular occasion, when we look at our Nation,
when we look at our Nation's future, if I could really ask for one
thing, if I had one wish that could be granted, it would be that our
fathers would fulfill their responsibility, that our fathers would be
honored truly on Father's Day, because almost all of the social ills
that we are looking at in our country today and all of the difficult
things our young people are looking at really go back to the fact that
our families are not intact, and particularly our fathers are not doing
their job.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of
objection, let me say that, as you know, I introduced in the first
session of this Congress H.R. 1300, the Responsible Fatherhood Act of
2001. It was legislation that sought to prescribe parameters for block
grants to States and territories to implement at their option media
campaigns promoting responsible fatherhood. It would have required the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with a nonprofit
fatherhood promotion organization to develop and distribute media
campaign literature that addressed the issue of responsible fatherhood
to States, local governments, public agencies and private entities.
Although I have only been a Member of Congress going into my sixth
year, annually I have sponsored a workshop for the Congressional Black
Caucus weekend dealing with fatherhood and responsible fatherhood and
responsible partnerships. My legislation would have developed a
national clearinghouse to assist States in community efforts to promote
and support responsible fatherhood by disseminating information under
this media campaign.
I introduced also in the first session of the 107th Congress House
Resolution 167, a resolution in support of fatherhood and in
celebration of Father's Day.
This evening I am here, Mr. Speaker, to support H. Res. 442, which
was authored by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan), on which my
staff and his staff worked together to try to figure out how we could
best solidify the two measures for the benefit of advancing legislation
dealing with fatherhood and responsible fatherhood legislation.
I want to commend all of the responsible fathers who have worked
laboriously to raise their children, along with their children's
mothers, and who have provided college educations and lifetime
opportunities for their children.
There are certainly countless numbers of men who have been engaged in
responsible fatherhood and who have been an integral part of the well-
being and growing up of their children, and now are involved in the
lives of their grandchildren. I think they stand as beacons, as role
models in terms of
[[Page H3488]]
what this country could in fact do for families if more fathers were
responsible and accountable for their children.
My legislation that I offered in no way intended to insult the kind
of participation that fathers have with their children. I recognize
that there are situations, Mr. Speaker, where the father is unable to
be at home in the same household with their children as their children
grow up, but under my legislation we intend to try to connect children
with their fathers in a very responsible way so that children can enjoy
the benefits of having their fathers involved in their lives.
Approximately 50 percent of all children born in the United States
spend at least half of their childhood in families without father
figures. Three out of four adolescents in the United States report that
they did not have adults in their lives that served as positive role
models.
Children who are apart from their biological fathers are, in
comparison to other children, five times more likely to live in
poverty, more likely to bring weapons and drugs into the classroom, to
commit other crimes, to drop out of school, to commit suicide, to abuse
alcohol or drugs. Girls are inclined sometimes to become pregnant as
teenagers.
The Federal Government spends billions of dollars to address social
ills, and very little to promote responsible fatherhood. 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. It is
important for the United States Congress as a body to promote
responsible fatherhood and to encourage loving and healthy
relationships between parents and their children in order to increase
the chance that children will have two caring parents in their lives to
help them grow up healthy, secure, responsible and accountable.
That is why I believe it is imperative, Mr. Speaker, that we do all
that we can to ensure that every human being who is growing up to
adulthood have access to two responsible parents in their lives and to
ensure that fathers are not inhibited or prohibited through some
archaic system from having active involvement in the well-being of
their children.
Mr. Speaker, happy Father's Day again.
Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I yield to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to add my voice to
that of the gentleman and the gentlewoman in terms of raising the
issue, as well as bringing to our attention the importance of
fatherhood, especially as we approach Father's Day.
It just happens that in my Congressional district come Saturday we
have a full day of activity that is designed to do nothing but promote
responsible fatherhood, beginning early in the morning and going all
day. It is a wonderful activity. Many of the individuals we find are
looking for ways to reconnect with families, to reestablish
relationships with their children. They simply need a little
facilitation and a little bit of help.
I think this kind of discussion, this kind of initiative, and this
kind of action will go a long ways toward that.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Illinois for his comments.
Continuing my reservation of objection, I yield to the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan), and I thank the gentleman for his partnership
in this effort.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for hers as well.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr.
Osborne). I liked what he had to say.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer H. Res. 442, to honor fathers on
Father's Day and commend them for enhancing the lives of their
children.
Fathers play a critical role in the development of our youth. In
addition to traditionally being the head of the household, these men
must serve as both spiritual leaders and protectors of their families.
Millions of men throughout this country effectively execute these
duties each day. Their children, in return, learn to be confident and
productive citizens.
Our active fathers rarely get the recognition they deserve. Many
understand that they must not only raise a child physically, but must
also meet the emotional needs of their kids. Above all, dads must
instill a sense of morality and spirituality in the hearts of their
children.
Every child deserves the love and attention of their father. This is
a simple fact. But we know that simple is not always synonymous with
easy. In the chaotic and increasingly busy world, it is important to
understand and, more important, to demonstrate that children are their
fathers' number one priority. My children, Tommy, Meredith and Sidney,
are my number one priority.
The children of today are the promise of tomorrow. With that in mind,
the role of our fathers must be to continue to raise a Nation of
leaders. We must teach our children to have a sense of optimism about
the future and what lies ahead. Their generation will be better than
ours. It will build on our wisdom to produce a bright and prosperous
world.
Mr. Speaker, tonight I ask my colleagues to join me as we renew our
commitment to being good parents. I especially call upon fathers
throughout the country to instill those values that will change the
lives of children.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of
legislation.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of
objection, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for
comments he may have in support of this effort.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Oklahoma
and the gentlewoman from Indiana for cosponsoring this resolution which
expresses, I think, profound thoughts. We do not often express profound
thoughts on the floor of this House.
Sunday will be Father's Day, and I will be blessed on Sunday. On
Sunday two of my daughters, two of my granddaughters, and one of my
grandsons will be at my house, and we are going to have a wonderful
time. They are coming on Saturday. They will spend the night there. We
will have a good time Saturday night and have dinner together.
My oldest daughter, who lives in Illinois, will not be there, but we
will talk on Sunday. She will call and she will say, ``Dad, I love you,
and I wish you a happy Father's Day,'' and nothing better will happen
to me that day or any day. We lost Mom 5 years ago. Mother's Day was a
special day at our house as well.
This resolution, as I say, articulates profound thoughts. As I was in
the cloakroom, I heard the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne)
speaking. Tom Osborne is a special person in this body. Few of us,
perhaps maybe none, have had the opportunity to be a father figure, not
necessarily a biological father, obviously, but a father figure,
someone to whom young men looked for guidance, for discipline, for
direction, and for a sense of responsibility.
Tom Osborne, as all of us know, is one of the great football coaches
in the history of America. So it was appropriate that he spoke and
leads the effort on this resolution, because I know an awful lot of
young men who perhaps did not have a dad at home, or did not have a dad
that cared as much about them as we would have hoped he would have,
looked to Tom Osborne for the growing of character that a father ought
to give a son or a daughter.
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So I congratulate the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for the
literally scores, hundreds, of young men, whose lives you have made a
difference in.
Mr. Speaker, on page 2 of this resolution it says something very
important: ``Whereas, the promotion of responsible fatherhood should
not, 1, denigrate the standing and parenting efforts of single mothers
whose efforts are heroic.''
That is so true. I know the gentlewoman from Indiana knows that to be
the case. Young women, middle-aged women whose partners, in producing
the greatest blessing of life, a child, do not participate in the
raising of that child. This resolution says that not only is that good
for the fathers, but it is absolutely critical for the children. Study
after study shows us that there is nothing better for a child in the
world than a stable family, than two
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parents caring for that child and giving that child direction.
It goes on to say that ``this does not in any way lessen the
protection of children from abusive parents.'' What a tragedy, that God
gives to some a child, and they abuse that child and abuse that gift.
``Or cause women to remain in or enter into abusive relationships.''
Some of us know about that, and it is appropriate that we say that,
that certainly a two-parent family that creates an abusive relationship
is not a relationship in which children ought to be raised. It is a
serious problem confronting our society; and as we consider this
resolution, we look to the ``responsible'' in the reference to
``fatherhood,'' responsible towards the child and responsible towards
the mom.
Lastly, it says that ``we do not want to compromise the health and
safety of a custodial parent.''
I rise in support of this resolution because of its importance. We
can appropriate all the money we want; we can have all the programs we
want; we can have Head Start, we can have Chapter 1; we can have the
CHIP program for child health; we can do all of those things, and
nothing, nothing, nothing will be important, as important as two
parents caring for that child they brought into this world.
I doubt, and I hope there is not a parent in this body or in this
country that can hear the ballad that is so poignant, so compelling,
the ``Cats in the Cradle.'' Those of my colleagues who remember the
``Cats in the Cradle'' song about the young man, the young man who
asked dad to go out and play ball, the young man who asked dad to read
the book, the young man who asked dad to spend a little bit of time
with him. Dad is too busy. Dad is probably like some of us. He thinks
things are too important, and he will be with his son a little later.
And of course as that song continues, as my colleagues will recall, the
dad gets older, the son gets older, and the dad says to the son, son,
let us spend some time together. Of course by that time the son, like
his dad when he was his age, has become preoccupied.
For those of us who have lived for some period of time who were very
active when our children were young, who thought our lives were very
important then, we perhaps look back and lament that we did not spend
the time with our children that we should have. It is important not
only that all of us urge fathers to be responsible, urge them to be
engaged, but as well to urge ourselves to be the best possible parents
we can, for nothing, nothing can be more positive for this country than
that.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here tonight in support of House Resolution 442
which calls upon fathers around the country to use this Father's Day to
reconnect and rededicate themselves to their childrens' lives.
This coming Sunday, June 16th, 2002, millions of Americans will
celebrate Father's Day.
As a nation we set aside this day to recognize the tremendous impact
that fathers have on the lives of children, as well as the stability of
families.
As the father of three lovely and intelligent women, I know first
hand the remarkable challenge, work and dedication it requires to be a
good father.
It is through fatherhood that I live my most valued, joyful and
reward moments.
On Father's Day, I would like to commend those who have fulfilled
their responsibility as a father by providing materially for their
families, as well as playing vital roles in the lives of their
children, such as nurturer, moral instructor and mentor.
However, it is important for our society to take note that many
children will face a void on Father's Day because they have no one with
which to celebrate the occasion.
Today, an estimated 17 million children are living in households
without a father. This makes the United States the world leader in
fatherless families.
Children, on average, achieve more when they have involved,
responsible, and committed fathers. A study released in May 2001, by
the U.S. Department of Education, clearly shows how a father's active
involvement in their child's education is particularly important for
academic achievement, as measured by receiving mostly A grades and not
having to repeat a grade.
In fact, research shows that children with absentee fathers are twice
as likely to drop out of school, to commit a crime and to abuse alcohol
and drugs. And, they have a five times greater chance of living in
poverty and are more likely to become pregnant as a teenager.
The social implications of this reality are staggering. Action is
needed to stop these vicious cycles of poverty and teen pregnancy.
I believe it is important to reinforce the values that all Americans
share: hard work, self-discipline, and personal and family
responsibility.
I support meaningful legislation that will help make both parents
responsible for taking care of their children, such as improvements to
the interstate enforcement of child support, as well as media awareness
campaigns to promote responsible fatherhood skills.
It is important for society to send a clear and strong message to
parents--especially teenage parents--that they must be responsible for
their children--and I will continue to support and promote such
initiatives.
It is my great pleasure to stand here tonight with my colleagues to
reinforce the importance of responsible parenting and to commend
fathers who have had a positive and lasting influence on the lives of
their children.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation
of objection, let me thank the gentleman very much for those very vital
points that the gentleman inserted into this dialogue. It forces us to
rethink our position in terms of the configuration of the family when
we reflect on 9/11, as responsible fathers went to work to ensure that
their families had economic well-being, only to be interrupted in terms
of their life and being unable to go back.
So when we talk about fatherhood and partnerships and responsible
fatherhood, we do consider that there are circumstances beyond the
control of the biological father which would propel us into action to
ensure that children do, in fact, have a connection with a responsible
fatherhood figure, if you will, in their lives.
Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I yield to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins).
Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding me this time, and I appreciate her allotting me the time to
say a few words on this, I think, very important issue. I want to say a
special thanks to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) and also
to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), who has been a tremendous
role model and friend, who understands the need to have a role model
and, truly, the gentleman from Nebraska has been a role model for many
young men.
I, like many others, have lived trying to make sure, trying to be the
kind of father that my children would like. I was raised in a broken
home, and there were lots of nights I went to bed thinking about,
hoping and praying that God would let me be a father one of these days
and maybe I could be a father to my children and also my grandchildren,
because I do know the meaning. My mother raised me outside of a small
farming community of less than 200 population, and I always look back
and think how my mom, as a single parent, how she did it. We all
worked. We all worked three part-time jobs and we were able to make it.
But that small town was like a father, so to speak. It just consumes
itself in trying to make sure that we as young people followed certain
standards and values, et cetera; and I am just thankful to have been
raised in that small community.
But I would like for my colleagues to know that I lay awake at night
and I wonder how in the world do we save the inner city kids? How do we
save those kids who many of them do not know who their father is?
Sometimes they do not know either parent, and they find there is no
role model. I know the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and I have
talked about role models. I think each and every one of us in life is a
role model in one way or the other, one way or the other. I think it
behooves us to try to get that message across, that we are responsible
to try to help raise the children in some way so that they can be
responsible and so that they can enter their fatherhood somewhere along
the way.
As the gentleman from Maryland was talking about, statistics prove it
out. I know I have been on the selection team of the top 10 students at
Oklahoma State University for about 15 years; and over that period of
time, it has been amazing to me to see the outstanding students, and
most of them had both parents. Let me say this to any young person who
may come from a broken home, a divorced home, you can use it as an
excuse, or you can use it as a building stone, a stepping stone.
Because it is easy for us to say, well,
[[Page H3490]]
because I did not have a parent is the reason why I did not do this or
maybe I turned out bad.
I am so thankful that the good Lord blessed me along the way. I stand
in support of H. Res. 442, because I think we cannot do too much in
trying to reach a lot of people and trying to make sure we provide for
them that opportunity to be a father and be a role model as a father.
So I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) and the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) and especially my friend, the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), who I am just thankful that he
will be coming to Oklahoma to be the presenter for my entry into the
Oklahoma Hall of Fame; and I really and sincerely mean that, because as
I have told my friend, as the Nebraska coach, we owe him a whole lot. I
really want him to come because I want the people of Oklahoma to know
the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) whom I have grown to love and
respect as a fellow human being. But to the gentleman from Nebraska, we
thank him so much for being part of our family here. I want to thank
the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) and look forward to having
him in Oklahoma. I thank the gentleman for what he has meant to the
delegation in bringing this to our attention.
As I go through life, and as some here know, I am going home after
this year, and people ask me what I am going to do, and I say I am
going home to try to be the best father I can be, to be a papa, and to
make memories.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of
objection, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins).
I too want to add accolades to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr.
Osborne) and certainly for the kind words from the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins) and also to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Hoyer) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
As we continue this dialogue in terms of these measures that are
before us, I think that the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins)
brought up a very valuable point, and I want to insert a very
invaluable point, I believe. All children in the inner city are not the
stereotypical kind that one would believe. I myself came from an urban
area and was born to a teen-age single mother, and the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins) made a good point that people can make choices
about what it is that they want to be, and it is kind of difficult for
us to muscle ourselves through life being branded as bastards,
illegitimate, and coming from inner city areas. When you look back at
some of the national episodes that occurred perpetuated by children
that came from two-parent families, I think we have to stress the
importance of building on the morals of an individual rather than
classifying an individual by environment or by neighborhood or by all
of these other systemic kinds of situations.
Continuing to reserve my right to object, I yield to the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Pence), whose oratory is almost as good as mine, but
it is a joy to have him in the delegation. I was just with him the
other night at a dinner. He would not want anybody to know that, but I
have to tell that, and I do have a lot of appreciation for the good
work that my colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence), does;
and it is a pleasure to yield to him.
Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for
those kind words and, more to the point, for her original sponsorship
of this important resolution tonight and to its author, one of the
newest Members of this institution, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Sullivan), who has already begun to make a tremendous impression on all
of his colleagues on issues important to the family. And to the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), my thanks to him for his
leadership on this issue as well.
My father was Ed Pence, who raised a family of four boys and two
girls that were the passion of his life until he passed away in 1988 at
the young age of 58, leaving all of us to this day heartbroken. And let
me say that my father was tough as a father with a drill instructor
background. He was at times completely unfair. His punishments were
unjustifiable and without appeal, but my father was there, and that
privilege for me is one of the greatest evidences of God's grace in my
life. And my father's presence in my life and the lives of my brothers
and sisters I have tried to emulate and replicate in the lives of
Michael and Charlotte and Audrey who sit at our home at this hour
watching this important conversation. It is one of the sublime
privileges of my life to be their daddy and to try to live up to the
high standards of my father. But it was a standard that was set simply
by the idea that we really celebrate tonight in the gentleman from
Oklahoma's resolution, and that is it is about being there for dads.
Sometimes I wonder in my heart if in the sitcom culture that we have
invented today we have not raised the bar too high for fathers,
creating some standard where if dad is not there at the end of the day
at school talking through every single problem conversation that their
child had that somehow that father is not living up to the modern
standard of a touchy-feely dad.
{time} 2045
Today in this resolution we simply call on fathers to reconnect; to
be promise-keepers, to live out the commitment that is not just
biological but begins there and remains spiritual and relational
through their lives.
Fatherlessness, as the gentleman from Nebraska said, is an epidemic
in America. Forty percent of children who live in fatherless households
in the United States have not seen their fathers in a year. Fifty
percent of such children have never visited their father's homes.
Nearly four out of 10 children born in America today are born in homes
where their father will never live. It breaks my heart.
But I think that the leadership that the gentlewoman from Indiana
(Ms. Carson) is providing on this issue tonight is even more important,
because if fatherlessness is an epidemic in America as a whole, it
breaks my heart to say that in the last 25 years, fatherlessness has
become a crisis in black America; that, for whatever reasons, whether
they are a consequence of social welfare policies or trends or
urbanization, black America, and particularly black American young men,
have been growing up increasingly in a generation without their fathers
at home. Six out of 10 black Americans today will be born and raised in
a home where their fathers are not present, and it breaks my heart.
When we look at the statistics of what happens when dad is not
around, children are five times more likely to end their lives in
poverty, multiple times to become involved in crime and drugs and
premarital sex and gang violence.
We must today come together, Christians and Jews, people of every
race and every creed and every background and every party in this
country, and declare war on fatherlessness, because it is, as the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) said with great passion and
eloquence a moment ago, it is something about which the survival of our
Nation is tied up.
With this I close. The Bible talks of a time of renewal in the world,
when the hearts of the fathers would be turned back to their children.
It seems to me that the resolution offered tonight by the gentleman
from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan), by the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms.
Carson), and the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), is all about
doing just that, in whatever small way we can in this institution to do
our part to turn the hearts of the fathers of America back to their
children; to sear their consciences as this Father's Day approaches,
and maybe even begin the process in this place of turning Father's Day
not into a day where you get a new pair of slippers, a new subscription
to Sports Illustrated, some new homemade chiseled gifts and nailed
boards, but maybe it is a day when fathers do not receive but they
decide to give.
Those of us who have the privilege to call ourselves fathers or to be
called daddy by somebody special in the world will recognize this
holiday as a day when we can renew, as the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Sullivan) suggests, renew and reconnect and rededicate ourselves to our
children's lives.
Again, I commend the gentlewoman from Indiana for her passion, her
leadership, her testimony, and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Sullivan).
[[Page H3491]]
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Continuing to reserve my right to object, Mr.
Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana very much for his input,
and I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished
gentlewoman from Indiana for her early and constant leadership on this
issue, and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) for his
leadership on this issue.
Two reasons, or more than two reasons, I rise to support this
resolution: First of all, to pay tribute to America's fathers, many of
whom are serving in the front lines of our war against terrorism, many
of whom will not be with their children on Father's Day because of
that.
I also would like to acknowledge my father, my late father, Ezra C.
Jackson, who certainly represented a major force in my life; and then
to pay tribute to my husband, Dr. Elwyn C. Lee, who plays a major role,
not only in his children's lives, but that of his community.
That is why this resolution is so vital, because it emphasizes the
importance and the very vitality of a man's love for his children. It
indicates that that steady hand is needed, and the resolution calls for
action. It literally asks fathers, wherever they may be, whether they
are united with their families or they are not, it asks fathers to make
an effort to be united with their children on Father's Day, and for the
children to make an effort to be united with their fathers.
It is well known that this resolution also says that 40 percent of
children who live in fatherless households in the United States have
not seen their fathers in at least 1 year, and 50 percent of such
children have never visited their father's homes.
As chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I see the poverty of
children. When I see that, I am not only talking about the physical
poverty, the financial poverty, but also the spiritual and social
poverty of children; that when children do not have the steady hand of
the dad, we can see the difference; that firm hand, that hand that
either plays the local sports, that sits on the front row of that
school ceremony, that visits that teacher, that waves you off to
school.
There is something about the bonding between father and child, girl
or boy, and I am gratified that this House would rise today on the eve
of Father's Day to be able to acknowledge the importance of Father's
Day.
I am affiliated with an effort called the U.S. Dream Academy. Senator
Orrin Hatch and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), Senator
Hillary Clinton, Senator Corzine, and many others have offered their
support for this operation sponsored by Wintley Phipps. The idea of it
is to work with children of incarcerated parents, those parents that
are in prison.
What they have determined is that a child whose parent is in prison,
and in particular, in many instances, it is the male parent, that child
is doomed to the cycle of incarceration or imprisonment. The father,
again, not in their lives. In many instances, this effort is to boost
the child's self-esteem, but also to find ways to ensure that if there
can be a relationship, even with that incarcerated parent, and there
can be a support system on the outside that bolsters that child's
ability to achieve, it is an important program.
This resolution applauds such efforts to create the opportunity for
parent and child to be together, and that is for children to be with
their parents. It promotes responsible fatherhood, so that fatherhood
or the idea of being a father would not denigrate the standing or
parenting efforts of single mothers whose efforts are heroic.
We are not trying to condemn or to criticize those individuals who
have to raise their children alone, but we are saying to the fathers,
wherever they are, they can make a holistic family by coming to those
children and raising themselves up as a person to be admired,
respected, and someone who wants to nurture and love their children.
We believe, of course, that putting fathers in the lives of children
does not condone being abusive. We know there are circumstances where
we must separate the children from the family; and, as well, we do not
want to keep children or families, rather, or women in abusive
relationships. That is not the intent of this resolution. Nor do we
want to compromise the health or the safety of a custodial parent. Many
times there are restraining orders.
To put all of that aside, we are not attempting to change situations
where there is any jeopardy, but what we are saying is that in this
Father's Day, this third Sunday in June, we want to make sure that
children and fathers have an opportunity to come together.
So we urge in this resolution an understanding, we urge in this
resolution love, we urge in this resolution bonding and friendship. I
might simply say that we as a Nation understood the principles of
motherhood and fatherhood; we have Mother's Day, we have Father's Day.
We understand the toiling and the hard work.
We made efforts to ensure that when we built towns to the West, when
we said, go west, young man and young woman, we would put together
towns around families. The first thing that would be built would be the
little schoolhouse.
We even know that the tragedy of slavery unfortunately undermined
family systems. There was a great impact on that. We have to continue
to mend that psychological crack, if you will. In all of that, we have
come full circle to understand the value of fatherhood.
So, Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to join the leaders of this
resolution. Again, I want to add my accolades to the gentlewoman from
Indiana (Ms. Carson), because she has been preaching this unity, this
message about fatherhood, for many, many years. I am just delighted
that she has brought this message to the United States Congress to be
able to not only honor our fathers, to pay tribute to them, but also to
challenge them to find their children, wherever they might be, and
bring them close to them, and they will find great reward in the idea
of fatherhood, both for themselves and for their children.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Continuing to reserve my right to object, Mr.
Speaker, certainly I would like to do a premature congratulations to
Alex Nock, who has worked very hard with the staff, and who in October
will become a father. So I want to be the first one to tell him
congratulations, and certainly to Ms. Nock. We look forward to this
explosion of the population, and for him to move into the role that he
has so aptly described in this resolution, along with the gentleman
from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).
Continuing to reserve my right to object, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).
Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Indiana for yielding to me, and I thank and commend the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) for bringing this, along with the gentlewoman
from Indiana, to our attention and to the floor. I would recognize also
the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his leadership on this
very important issue.
Mr. Speaker, we have many titles, many things we are called over the
course of our lives. During school we have a lot of nicknames, and
during my time in business I had a lot of fancy titles, and today we
are called Congressmen or Congresswomen. But there is nothing more
important than to be called ``dad.'' It is the most important title
that I have.
I have had the opportunity to invest in many things that are valuable
to me, whether it be my home, buying a car every now and then, or other
things. But as my father would always say, my assets sit around the
table, and they are the most important, most valuable things that we
have.
We have many jobs. I have had many jobs in my life during my 20-year
career in business, and I have an important job here serving the people
in the Second District of Minnesota.
But there is no more important job that I have, no more important job
that any father has, than in being a father to their children. That is
really what this resolution talks about, is the importance of that, and
the need to really reach out and honor that, thank those that do a good
job, and encourage those fathers out there to take a more active role
in their lives.
I have had the example in my life, as many have, and unfortunately,
some have not, of having a great father to
[[Page H3492]]
guide me in this path. I can fondly remember the nights when he would
tuck me in at night and come over to my bed and say my prayers.
Every night when I am home, which in our role is not often enough,
but I always try to take time at the end of the night to go to each
child's bedroom, and I am very blessed to have four children, along
with my wife, Debbie, and spend time with them talking about their day,
saying our prayers, giving them the sign of the cross on their forehead
to keep them safe through the night and keep them strong in their
faith, and help them grow in their lives.
{time} 2100
But there are 24 million kids that do not have a father to come and
talk to them at night or during the day or anytime. And it is those
that we really our hearts go out to them and we should do everything we
can to support them in our own way in role models. But the best thing
that could happen for them is if their father was more involved. And
that is what we are trying to do today, to encourage current fathers
and future fathers to play a very important role in their children's
lives.
As we celebrate Father's Day, we want to encourage them to remember,
all fathers to remember that they have a role not just in bringing your
child to life, but in teaching them, teaching them and working with
them in their school work, working with them in terms of imparting your
faith with them, working with them in helping them learn how to play
sports, how to deal with some of the tough issues they face in life and
dealing with young kids in their challenges that are giving them a hard
time and sharing their stories as the struggles you went through.
So I would just commend and thank all fathers who are doing that
today and commend them to redouble their efforts. I would encourage
fathers that maybe have not really focused on that as much to really
make a resolution this Father's Day to do that more. And I would also
speak to the young men of the world that are not yet fathers to say,
listen, if you are going to do that, you ought to take that act
responsibly and you ought to have a commitment to those children that
you bring into this world to bring them up as someone that you would be
as happy to say that this is someone I have invested a lot of my life
in and I am very pleased how they turned out.
So thanks to the fathers. Thanks again to the gentlewoman from
Indiana (Ms. Carson). Thanks to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Sullivan) for bringing this forward, as well as to the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to
object, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy). Let me say
before I release my right to object, to the coach, the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), in particular, because I know what an impact
coaches have on the lives of young men, and even though I do not know
the gentleman personally, I have observed him, and just his style
suggests that he has touched many lives of young people who have been
guided in a very positive way.
In Indiana we have Coach Dungy, who is head of the coaches, who is an
incredible father himself to his biological children. But he has
reached out and embraced other children who did not have the benefit of
having the love of a father that he gives to his children. We have Mike
Davis, an incredible coach at Indiana University, who has reached out
and embraced other children who did not have the benefit of a personal
father in their own life.
We have Emil, who just left to coach and went to the Oakland Raiders,
who has created an incredible program for the benefit of children,
particularly young men who did not have fathers. We have Tim Harris,
who is a millionaire, African American, all of the men I have
mentioned, African American men who are reaching out doing what they
can do for the benefit of young men who are not so fortunate to have a
father in their home. But to coaches in particular, they do have a very
special segment in the lives of kids.
Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to tell the gentleman how much I
appreciate him and the many numerous lives that he has touched along
the way in his profession.
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Flake). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Nebraska?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 442
Whereas 40 percent of children who live in fatherless
households in the United States have not seen their fathers
in at least 1 year, and 50 percent of such children have
never visited their fathers' homes;
Whereas approximately 50 percent of all children born in
the United States spend at least half of their childhood in
families without father figures;
Whereas 3 out of 4 adolescents in the United States report
that they do not have adults in their lives that serve as
positive role models;
Whereas children who are apart from their biological
fathers are, in comparison to other children, 5 times more
likely to live in poverty, and more likely to bring weapons
and drugs into the classroom, commit other crimes, drop out
of school, commit suicide, abuse alcohol or drugs, and become
pregnant as teenagers;
Whereas the Federal Government spends billions of dollars
to address these social ills and very little to promote
responsible fatherhood;
Whereas the promotion of responsible fatherhood should
not--
(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 with fathers at home tend to do better in
school, to be less prone to depression, and to have more
successful relationships;
Whereas boys and girls alike demonstrate greater self-
control and ability to take initiative when fathers are
actively involved in their upbringing;
Whereas promoting responsible fatherhood can help increase
the chances that children will grow up with two caring
parents;
Whereas a broad array of America's leading family and
child-development experts agree that it is in the best
interests of children, and the Nation as a whole, to
encourage more two-parent, father-involved families;
Whereas in a study of fathers' interaction with their
children in intact two-parent families, nearly 90 percent of
the fathers surveyed said that being a father is the most
fulfilling role a man can have;
Whereas according to a 1996 Gallup poll, 90.3 percent of
Americans agree that fathers make a unique contribution to
their children's lives;
Whereas married fathers are more likely to have a close,
enduring relationship with their children than unmarried
fathers;
Whereas the promotion of responsible fatherhood is a
bipartisan issue; and
Whereas Father's Day is the third Sunday in June: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges men to understand the level of responsibility
fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement
of the academic, moral, and spiritual development of
children;
(2) recognizes the need to encourage active involvement of
fathers in the rearing and development of their children;
(3) encourages each father to devote time, energy, and
resources to his children, recognizing that children need not
only material support, but even more importantly, a secure
and nurturing family environment;
(4) commends the millions of fathers who serve as
wonderful, caring parents for their children, while also
recognizing that there are children who will have no one with
whom to celebrate on Father's Day;
(5) urges mothers to encourage fathers to play an active
role in child-rearing;
(6) calls on fathers across the Nation to use Father's Day
to reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's
lives, to spend Father's Day with their children, and to
express their love and support for their children; and
(7) urges American institutions, and government entities at
every level, to promote public policies that encourage and
support the efforts of, and remove barriers to, responsible
fatherhood.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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