[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Proclamation 7820 of September 24, 2004


 
Family Day, 2004


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During this time of great change in our Nation, we remain dedicated to
the fundamental American values of courage and compassion, reverence and
integrity, and respect for others. On Family Day, we affirm our
commitment to strengthening America's families and supporting them as
they work to raise healthy and responsible children.
Strong families help young people take responsibility, understand the
consequences of their actions, and recognize that the decisions they
make today could affect the rest of their lives. By spending time with
their children, parents prepare them to realize a bright future.
It should always be a goal of government to encourage marriage and
strengthen families. My 2005 budget proposal includes more than $290
million in funding for programs that support healthy marriages, research
and demonstration projects on family formation, and initiatives to
promote responsible fatherhood.
We have made significant progress over the past decade in helping our
young people make the right choices. Smoking and illicit drug use have
declined among youth, teen birth rates have fallen to the lowest levels
ever recorded, and violent crime among teenagers has decreased
dramatically. My Administration is also supporting families by
encouraging character education in schools to help children develop a
sense of responsibility to their communities. We are advancing
abstinence-only education programs to help reduce the number of teen
pregnancies and teenagers contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and
we are promoting school drug testing to identify kids who need help.
When parents, schools, and government work together, we can counter the
negative influences in today's culture and send a positive message to
our youth.
Families instill the essential values we live by. By supporting them, we
make America a better and more hopeful place.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 27, 2004, as
Family Day. I call on the people of the United States to observe this
day by engaging in activities that honor the relationship between
parents and children and help keep our young people healthy and safe.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day
of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH

PROCLAMATION 7821--SEPT. 25, 2004

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