IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 353

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a national summit of sports,

political, community, and media leaders should be promptly convened

to develop a multifaceted action plan to deter acts of violence, especially

domestic violence and sexual assault.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 14, 2000

Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mrs. MORELLA, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. HILLIARD,

Ms. CARSON, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ENGEL,

Mr. FILNER, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. BALDACCI,

and Mrs. MEEK of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a national summit

of sports, political, community, and media leaders should

be promptly convened to develop a multifaceted action

plan to deter acts of violence, especially domestic violence

and sexual assault.

Whereas involvement in sports commonly places individuals in

a unique context of competition that provides an opportunity to teach, learn, and hone qualities of responsible

citizenship, including values that promote self-respect and

respect for others, and deter acts of violence, especially

domestic violence and sexual assault;
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Whereas professional and amateur athletes and sports coaches are role models with great national influence and have

helped to positively shape the lives of countless individuals;

Whereas professional and amateur athletes, and sports coaches, administrators, volunteers, and team owners have participated in a variety of outstanding and valuable community service projects throughout the Nation;

Whereas many professional and amateur sports organizations

have instituted educational programs and other measures

to deter and sanction misconduct, including abuse of

legal and illegal drugs, illegal gambling, discriminatory

practices, and other unethical behavior;

Whereas acts of domestic violence and sexual assault are serious, indefensible crimes;

Whereas acts of domestic violence and sexual assault committed by athletes are often not taken seriously and go

unpunished, sending an insidious and harmful message

that this behavior is excusable and is not criminal;

Whereas most athletes do not commit acts of domestic violence or sexual assault and these athletes, as role models,

can have a profound impact in deterring others from

committing acts of domestic violence and sexual assault;

Whereas there exists a Citizenship Through Sports Alliance

that is made up of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Junior College Athletic Association,

the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the

National Federation of State High School Associations,

the United States Olympic Committee, Major League

Baseball, the National Football League, the National
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Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League;

and

Whereas the Congress supports the existing activities of the

Citizenship Through Sports Alliance and its member organizations and encourages a broader array of efforts to

promote responsible citizenship by teaching administrators, coaches, and athletes values that will help all who

participate in our Nation’s sports culture to become better citizens: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) a national summit should be promptly con4 vened to develop a multifaceted action plan to deter

5 acts of violence, especially domestic violence and sex6 ual assault;

7 (2) the members of the national summit re8 ferred to in paragraph (1) should include—

9 (A) sports, community, political, and media

10 leaders;

11 (B) individuals with experience in youth

12 advocacy;

13 (C) individuals with experience in

14 antiviolence advocacy;

15 (D) members of the Citizenship Through

16 Sports Alliance;

17 (E) Members of Congress; and
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1 (F) other governmental and community

2 leaders with specific expertise in education and

3 advocacy programs that serve to deter acts of

4 violence, especially domestic violence and sexual

5 assault;

6 (3) the action plan referred to in paragraph (1)

7 should—

8 (A) be designed to encourage the participa9 tion of all administrators, coaches, and athletes,

10 from those involved in youth leagues to those

11 who are involved in professional sports;

12 (B) emphasize and promote values such as

13 self-respect and respect for others, tolerance,

14 non-discrimination, and gender equality as well

15 as teamwork, discipline, responsibility, and com16 mitment;

17 (C) encourage and promote participation in

18 sports as a positive character building activity;

19 (D) promote a sports culture that encour20 ages integrity, honesty, fairness, inclusion, tol21 erance, nonviolence, and a commitment to excel22 lence; and

23 (E) include a high-profile public education

24 program and media campaign to deter acts of
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1 violence, especially domestic violence and sexual

2 assault; and

3 (4) the members of the national summit re4 ferred to in paragraph (1), and other sports, com5 munity, political and media leaders should assume

6 leadership roles deterring acts of domestic violence

7 and sexual assault and should support the measures

8 developed by the national summit referred to in

9 paragraph (1).

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