[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 42 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Page 2068]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7242--National Character Counts Week, 1999

October 16, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The character of our citizens has enriched every aspect of our 
national life and has set an example of civic responsibility for people 
around the world. The diligence and determination that are part of our 
Nation's work ethic have strengthened our economy, and the firm 
convictions of our spiritual leaders have helped guide our communities, 
fostering unity, compassion, and humility.
    In this dynamic time of unparalleled opportunity and possibility, 
our children will encounter a variety of new challenges that will test 
the strength of their character and convictions. As the dawn of the new 
millennium fast approaches, we must work together--parents, public 
officials, educators, entertainers, and business and religious leaders--
to impart to our youth the core values they need to be good citizens.
    We know that parents play a critical role in imparting moral values 
to their children. But in today's complex and fast-paced society, when 
parents must spend longer hours at work and more families are headed by 
a single parent, parents have less time to spend with their children--an 
average decrease of 22 hours a week over the past 30 years, according to 
a report released this spring by my Council of Economic Advisers. We 
must seek innovative ways to address this problem and to promote 
stronger families, including greater flexibility in paid work hours, 
more affordable child care, and increased support for low-income 
families.
    My Administration is committed to providing families with the tools 
they need to fulfill their responsibilities at home and at work. Our 
agenda includes tripling our investment in after-school programs through 
the 21st Century Community Learning Center program and a historic 
initiative to make child care better, safer, and more affordable for 
working families. We are also working to expand the Family and Medical 
Leave Act to cover more workers and to allow leave for more parental 
activities, such as parent-teacher conferences and routine doctor 
visits.
    While Americans are striving to seize the opportunities presented by 
this exciting new era, we must continue to preserve the fundamental 
ideals and ethics that have sustained our country for more than two 
centuries. By sustaining these shared values and passing them on to our 
children, we can realize our common hope for a more just and honorable 
society and a brighter future for the generations to come.
    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, do hereby proclaim October 
17 through October 23, 1999, as National Character Counts Week. I call 
upon the people of the United States, government officials, educators, 
religious, community, and business leaders, and the States to 
commemorate this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and 
programs.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 
of October, 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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:37 a.m., October 19, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
20.