IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1440 

Expressing support for designation of the month of October as ‘‘National 

Work and Family Month’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York (for herself, Mr. PLATTS, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. 

HIRONO, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. CHILDERS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. FILNER, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, 

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, and Mr. TOWNS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

Labor 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for designation of the month of October 

as ‘‘National Work and Family Month’’. 

Whereas according to the report by WorldatWork titled ‘‘Attraction and Retention’’, the quality of workers’ jobs and 

the supportiveness of their workplaces are key predictors 

of job productivity, job satisfaction, commitment to employers, and retention; 

Whereas employees who have more access to flexible work arrangements enabling employees to balance family and 

work are significantly more satisfied with their jobs, are 

more satisfied with their lives, and experience less interference between their jobs and family lives than those 


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employees who have less access to flexible work arrangements, according to the Families and Work Institute 

2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce; 

Whereas according to the 2004 report ‘‘Overwork in America’’, employees who are able to effectively balance family 

and work responsibilities are less likely to report making 

mistakes, or feel resentment toward employers and coworkers; 

Whereas employees who are able to effectively balance family 

and work responsibilities tend to feel more successful in 

their relationships with their spouses, children, and 

friends, and tend to feel healthier; 

Whereas 85 percent of United States wage and salaried workers have immediate, day-to-day family responsibilities 

outside of their jobs; 

Whereas research by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center in 

2000 revealed that men in their 20s and 30s, and women 

in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, identified the most important 

job characteristic as being a work schedule that allows 

them to spend time with their families; 

Whereas according to the 2006 American Community Survey, 

47 percent of wage and salaried workers are parents with 

children under the age of 18 who live with them at least 

half-time; 

Whereas job flexibility often allows parents to be more involved in their children’s lives, and research reveals that 

parental involvement is associated with children’s higher 

achievement in language and mathematics, improved behavior, greater academic persistence, and lower dropout 

rates; 


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Whereas the 2000 Urban Working Families study revealed 

that a lack of job flexibility for working parents negatively affects children’s health in ways that range from 

children being unable to make needed doctors’ appointments, to children receiving inadequate early care, leading to more severe and prolonged illness; 

Whereas according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, breastfeeding is the most beneficial form of infant nutrition, and the greater the duration of breastfeeding, the lower the odds of pediatric 

overweight and obesity; 

Whereas according to the CDC less than half of mothers who 

work full time exclusively breastfeed their newborns; 

Whereas according to the CDC, support for lactation at work 

benefits individual families as well as employers via improved productivity and staff loyalty, enhanced public 

image of the employer, and decreased absenteeism, health 

care costs, and employee turnover; 

Whereas studies show that one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are obese or overweight and 

healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and 

physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese 

and developing related diseases; 

Whereas studies report that family rituals, such as sitting 

down to dinner together and sharing activities on weekends and holidays, positively influence children’s health 

and development, and that children who ate dinner with 

their family every day consumed nearly a full serving 

more of fruits and vegetables per day than those who 

never ate family dinners or only did so occasionally; 


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Whereas furthermore, unpaid family caregivers will likely 

continue to be the largest source of long-term care services in the United States for elderly United States citizens and are estimated by the Department of Health and 

Human Service to reach 37,000,000 caregivers by 2050, 

an increase of 85 percent from 2000, as an increasing 

number of baby boomers reach retirement age in record 

numbers; and 

Whereas the month of October would be an appropriate 

month to designate as ‘‘National Work and Family 

Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Work 

3 and Family Month’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of balancing work 

5 and family to job productivity and healthy families; 

6 (3) recognizes that an important job char7 acteristic is a work schedule that allows employees 

8 to spend time with families; 

9 (4) supports the goals and ideas of ‘‘National 

10 Family and Work Month’’, and urges public offi11 cials, employers, employees, and the general public 

12 to work together to achieve more balance between 

13 work and family; and 

14 (5) requests that the President issue a procla15 mation calling upon the people of the United States 


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1 to observe ‘‘National Work and Family Month’’ with 

2 appropriate ceremonies and activities. 

Æ 


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