[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.
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