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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 453 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 453

 Designating April 30, 2016, as ``Dia de los Ninos: Celebrating Young 
                              Americans''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 28, 2016

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. 
 Murray, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Reed, Mr. Reid, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Boxer, and 
Mr. Hatch) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Designating April 30, 2016, as ``Dia de los Ninos: Celebrating Young 
                              Americans''.

Whereas each year, people in many countries throughout the world, and especially 
        in the Western Hemisphere, celebrate Dia de los Ninos, or Day of the 
        Children, on April 30th in recognition and celebration of the future of 
        their country--their children;
Whereas children represent the hopes and dreams of the people of the United 
        States, and the well-being of children remains one of the top priorities 
        of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States must nurture and invest in children to 
        preserve and enhance economic prosperity, democracy, and the spirit of 
        the United States;
Whereas in 2014, the Census Bureau estimated that approximately 17,900,000 of 
        the nearly 55,400,000 individuals of Hispanic descent living in the 
        United States are children under 18 years of age, representing \1/3\ of 
        the total Hispanic population residing in the United States and roughly 
        \1/4\ of the total population of children in the United States;
Whereas Hispanic Americans, the youngest and largest racial or ethnic minority 
        group in the United States, celebrate the tradition of honoring their 
        children on Dia de los Ninos and wish to share this custom with all 
        people of the United States;
Whereas as the United States becomes more culturally and ethnically diverse, the 
        people of the United States must strive to create opportunities that 
        provide dignity and upward mobility for all children;
Whereas the primary teachers of family values, morality, and culture are parents 
        and family members, and children are responsible for passing on family 
        values, morality, and culture to future generations;
Whereas the importance of literacy and education is most often communicated to 
        children through family members;
Whereas the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress 
        (referred to in this preamble as ``NAEP'') indicates that Latino 
        students continue to score lower than the national average on reading 
        assessments conducted at the elementary school, middle school, and high 
        school levels--an achievement gap that has persisted for decades;
Whereas the most recent data by NAEP demonstrates that 81 percent of Latino 
        fourth graders in public schools are not proficient in reading;
Whereas Latino authors and Latino protagonists remain underrepresented in 
        literature for children, and less than 3 percent of books for children 
        are written by Latino authors, illustrated by Latino book creators, or 
        feature significant Latino cultural content, even though \1/4\ of all 
        public school children are Latino;
Whereas research has shown that culturally relevant literature can increase 
        student engagement and reading comprehension, yet some Latino students 
        may go their entire educational experience without seeing themselves 
        portrayed positively in the books that they read and the stories that 
        they hear;
Whereas increasing the number and proportion of multicultural authors in 
        literature for children elevates the voices of the growing diverse 
        communities in the United States and can serve as an effective strategy 
        for closing the reading proficiency achievement gap;
Whereas addressing the widening disparities that still exist among children is 
        of paramount importance to the economic prosperity of the United States;
Whereas the designation of a day to honor the children of the United States will 
        help affirm the significance of family, education, and community among 
        the people of the United States;
Whereas the designation of a day of special recognition for the children of the 
        United States will provide an opportunity for children to reflect on 
        their futures, articulate their aspirations, and find comfort and 
        security in the support of their family members and communities;
Whereas families should be encouraged to engage in family and community 
        activities that include extended and elderly family members and 
        encourage children to explore and develop confidence;
Whereas the National Latino Children's Institute, serving as a voice for 
        children, has worked with cities throughout the United States to declare 
        April 30, 2016, as Dia de los Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans, a day 
        to bring together Latinos and communities across the United States to 
        celebrate and uplift children; and
Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to celebrate the 
        gifts of children to society and invest in future generations: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates April 30, 2016, as ``Dia de los Ninos: 
        Celebrating Young Americans''; and
            (2) calls on the people of the United States to join with 
        all children, families, organizations, communities, churches, 
        cities, and States across the United States to observe the day 
        with appropriate ceremonies, including activities that--
                    (A) center around children and are free or minimal 
                in cost so as to encourage and facilitate the 
                participation of all people;
                    (B) are positive, uplifting, and help children 
                express their hopes and dreams;
                    (C) provide opportunities for children of all 
                backgrounds to learn about each other's cultures and 
                share ideas;
                    (D) include all family members, especially extended 
                and elderly family members, so as to promote greater 
                communication among the generations within families, 
                which will enable children to appreciate and benefit 
                from the experiences and wisdom of elderly family 
                members;
                    (E) provide opportunities for families within a 
                community to build relationships; and
                    (F) provide children with the support they need to 
                develop skills and confidence and to find the inner 
                strength, will, and fire of the human spirit to make 
                their dreams come true.
                                 <all>
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