[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 28, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 41001-41002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19494]



[[Page 40999]]

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Part VII





The President





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Proclamation 7211--Parents' Day
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 28, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 41001]]

                Proclamation 7211 of July 23, 1999

                
Parents' Day, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Parents are the foundation of the family and a 
                cornerstone of community life in America. They instill 
                the values, attitudes, and guidance children need to 
                become strong individuals and caring citizens; we turn 
                to our parents for the unconditional love and 
                encouragement we need to make the most of our lives and 
                to contribute to the life of our Nation. On Parents' 
                Day, we pay tribute to the millions of parents whose 
                care has nurtured us, whose vigilance has protected us, 
                and whose selfless devotion has blessed our lives.

                The challenges of parenthood have changed as our 
                society has changed. In many American families, both 
                parents work outside the home and struggle to balance 
                the competing demands of job, home, and family. In 
                others, a single parent bears these responsibilities.

                My Administration continues to support parents through 
                initiatives such as the Children's Health Insurance 
                Program and Head Start and by advocating child care, 
                adoption, and child welfare expansion. We have worked 
                hard to help parents support their families financially 
                by creating new jobs, raising the minimum wage, 
                expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, preserving the 
                national guarantee of health care for poor children, 
                and increasing child support collections to record 
                heights. We have helped parents balance work and family 
                by enacting the Family and Medical Leave Act and 
                releasing funds for after-school grants so that parents 
                do not have to choose between keeping their jobs and 
                ensuring that their children receive quality care and 
                supervision.

                Though helping parents do their job has always been a 
                top priority of my Administration, we recognize that 
                government programs alone cannot solve all the problems 
                that families face today. For example, I am heartened 
                by the passionate commitment of parents across America 
                in response to our call for a national campaign to 
                prevent youth violence. This campaign will ask all 
                sectors of society to focus on this crucial issue, to 
                discover what measures work, and to share that 
                knowledge with other families in communities across our 
                country.

                There is no single cause or solution to ending the 
                violence that has cut short too many young lives. But, 
                by working together, we can change the values of our 
                culture and influence the marketing strategies of media 
                industries so that our children are not continually 
                exposed to violent or other inappropriate materials in 
                the games they play, the programs and movies they 
                watch, or the music they hear. We also must continue 
                our efforts to ensure that our young people do not gain 
                unauthorized access to guns. Parents play a crucial 
                role in all of these endeavors by remaining involved in 
                the lives of their sons and daughters.

                The First Lady and I have issued a challenge to our 
                Nation to celebrate the coming of the new millennium by 
                honoring the past and imagining the future. As we 
                prepare to enter the 21st century, let us remember 
                that, just as parents remain a treasured link to our 
                past, they also influence the future by raising their 
                children to become the responsible citizens of 
                tomorrow. On this day and throughout the year, let us 
                honor the millions

[[Page 41002]]

                of devoted mothers and fathers who have fulfilled this 
                solemn responsibility with extraordinary compassion, 
                generosity, and love.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States and consistent with Public Law 103-362, do 
                hereby proclaim Sunday, July 25, 1999, as Parents' Day. 
                I invite the States, communities, and the people of the 
                United States to join together in observing this day 
                with appropriate ceremonies and activities to honor our 
                Nation's parents.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-19494
Filed 7-27-99; 8:45am]
Billing code 3195-01-P