H. Res. 442

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

June 12, 2002.

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, and 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 the promotion of responsible fatherhood should

not—
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(1) denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of

single mothers, whose efforts are heroic;

(2) lessen the protection of children from abusive

parents;

(3) cause women to remain in, or enter into, abusive

relationships; or

(4) compromise the health or safety of a custodial

parent;

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 a broad array of America’s leading family and childdevelopment experts agree that it is in the best interests

of children, and the Nation as a whole, to encourage

more two-parent, father-involved families;

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;
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Whereas the promotion of responsible fatherhood is a bipartisan issue; 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 academic, moral, and spiritual development of children;

(2) recognizes the need to encourage active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their

children;

(3) encourages each father to devote 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;

(4) commends the millions of fathers who serve as

wonderful, caring parents for their children, while also

recognizing that there are children who will have no one

with whom to celebrate on Father’s Day;

(5) urges mothers to encourage fathers to play an

active role in child-rearing;

(6) 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
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children, and to express their love and support for their

children; and

(7) urges American institutions, and government

entities at every level, to promote public policies that encourage and support the efforts of, and remove barriers

to, responsible fatherhood.

Attest:

Clerk.