[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3923-H3924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD AND ENCOURAGING GREATER INVOLVEMENT 
               OF FATHERS IN THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN

  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 66) supporting responsible fatherhood and 
encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their 
children, especially on Father's Day.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H. Res. 66

       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, or 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 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 the promotion of responsible fatherhood should not 
     denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of single 
     mothers, whose efforts are heroic, lessen the protection of 
     children from abusive parents, cause women to remain in, or 
     enter into, abusive relationships, or compromise the health 
     or safety of a custodial parent;
       Whereas a broad array of the Nation'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 families where the father is actively 
     involved with his children;
       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; 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 moral, academic, and spiritual development of 
     children;
       (2) encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing 
     and development of their children, including the devotion of 
     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;
       (3) urges mothers to encourage fathers to play an active 
     role in child-rearing;
       (4) commends the millions of fathers who serve as 
     wonderful, caring parents for their children;
       (5) 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
       (6) urges institutions and government entities at every 
     level to promote public policies that encourage and support, 
     and remove barriers to, responsible fatherhood.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Res. 66.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would first like to thank the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) for sponsoring this legislation and the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the House Committee 
on Education and the Workforce, for supporting it.
  Madam Speaker, we live in troubled times for young people. Over 36 
years of coaching I saw cultural changes that negatively impacted 
children. The out-of-wedlock birth rate went from 5 percent in 1960 to 
roughly 33 percent today.
  The United States has become the most violent nation in the world for 
young people in terms of homicide and suicide. Drug and alcohol 
addiction has increased dramatically. We currently have roughly 3 
million teenage alcoholics and hundreds of thousands who are addicted 
to other types of drugs.

                              {time}  1730

  Teen pregnancy has skyrocketed.
  The greatest single factor in this alarming transformation has been 
fatherlessness. There are currently 24 million fatherless children in 
the United States. Up to 60 percent of today's children will spend at 
least part of their childhood separated from their biological fathers, 
and many fathers who are present are emotionally absent because of work 
commitment and simple lack of interest in their children's lives.
  Fatherless children have a great deal of trauma and dysfunction in 
their lives. They are much more likely to commit crimes and engage in 
substance abuse. Approximately 70 percent of prison inmates grew up 
without fathers. Fatherless children have lower grades and higher 
dropout rates. The dropout rate for fatherless children is roughly 
double that of other children. Fatherless children are five times more 
likely to live in poverty, are more likely to be promiscuous. And three 
out of four suicides take place in a home where a parent is absent, and 
psychiatric problems are four to five times more prevalent for 
fatherless children.
  So when a dad walks out, it leaves a vacuum that is often filled with 
all of

[[Page H3924]]

the wrong stuff. This is the biggest threat that we experience in our 
culture today, so I would like to take this opportunity particularly to 
thank those fathers who do stay the course. While some have minimized 
the importance of fatherhood, the evidence is overwhelming that a 
father makes a unique contribution in the lives of his children.
  It takes both a father and a mother living in a committed 
relationship to develop stable children and a strong culture. Some have 
denigrated the institution of marriage and said fathers really are 
somewhat irrelevant, and obviously the facts belie that. Fathers are 
critical, as are mothers, to a strong society.
  Madam Speaker, I want to urge support to the National Center on 
Fathering created by Ken Canfield. Mentoring programs have been very 
important around the country to fill the gap in fatherlessness, and all 
of the initiatives which promote and strengthen fatherhood.
  We currently see an encouraging increase in interest and recognition 
of the importance of fatherhood. I guess in what might otherwise be a 
rather bleak picture, this is somewhat of an encouraging sign. I urge 
adoption of House Resolution 66.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I am happy to rise in appreciation of fathers and in full support of 
Father's Day. Many people believe that Father's Day was started by 
greeting card companies to create another reason for people to buy 
greeting cards, but that is not so. The origination of Father's Day is 
generally credited to Mrs. John B. Dodd of Washington State. Mrs. Dodd 
wanted to honor her father, William Smart. Mr. Smart was a Civil War 
veteran whose wife, Mrs. Dodd's mother, died in childbirth with their 
sixth child. Mr. Smart never remarried and raised all six children by 
himself.
  Beginning in 1919, Father's Day was celebrated unofficially on June 
19, which was close to Mr. Smart's birthday. It was not until 1966 that 
Father's Day became an official American celebration when President 
Johnson signed a Presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday 
in June Father's Day.
  I am happy to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to honor 
the many, many wonderful fathers who have given children their time, 
knowledge and strength, and most of all their love; and I would like to 
take this opportunity to also thank and show great gratitude for the 
grandfathers who have in many of our lives, mine in particular, played 
a tremendous role and in many instances step in for the father who is 
not there.
  There is something special about the grandfather because they are 
passing down from many generations, which is very enriching, I think, 
for many young people in our society today. And coming from a 
generation where there has been much divorce and many fathers who have 
not been around, I think this is a very appropriate resolution, and I 
am happy to show our appreciation to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. 
Osborne).
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McINTYRE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 
66, a resolution that speaks to the importance of fathers and the role 
that they play in our society. I thank my colleague, Mr. Sullivan, for 
his work on this important matter.
  Six days from now, our nation will celebrate the special place that 
fathers have in our country.
  From helping with homework to playing ball, from reading a book to 
offering advice, and from praying with and just listening, each and 
every day fathers of all ages contribute to the mental, moral, physical 
and spiritual development of children, teenagers, and adults.
  According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, children with 
involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in 
school, have a healthy self esteem, show empathy, exhibit good 
behavior, and avoid high risk activity such as drug use and criminal 
activity.
  H.J. Resolution 66 recognizes the wonderful work that both parents do 
on behalf of their kids, and I encourage my colleagues to join with us 
as we all recommit ourselves to being the best father we can to 
children everywhere.
  And in conclusion, I would like to publicly thank my father, Dr. 
Douglas McIntyre of my hometown of Lumberton, for the great example he 
has been to me and for the dedication and support he has shown in my 
every endeavor.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 66.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________