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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 706 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 706

 Expressing support for the designation of November 9, 2019, as ``Gold 
                          Star Father's Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2019

 Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Woodall, Mr. Austin Scott of 
Georgia, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Costa, 
   Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Loudermilk, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. 
 Norton, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Moore, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. 
 Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Rush, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Watson Coleman, 
  Ms. Fudge, Mrs. Beatty, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Cox of California, Mrs. 
     McBath, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Cisneros) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the designation of November 9, 2019, as ``Gold 
                          Star Father's Day''.

Whereas thousands of men and women have laid down their lives to defend the 
        liberty and soul of our Nation, and families of fallen members of the 
        Armed Forces have lost their loved ones in service to our country;
Whereas families of members of the Armed Forces demonstrate a different kind of 
        heroism, supporting children and family members while loved ones are 
        deployed, sacrificing holidays with members who are serving overseas, 
        and facing each day knowing their loved one might be in danger and could 
        never return home;
Whereas, before the Iraq war, the United States had lost over 1,300,000 members 
        of the Armed Forces during wartime, and since October 2001, over 4,400 
        members of the Armed Forces have lost their lives serving this country, 
        leaving thousands of family members behind;
Whereas, in 2015, the Gold Star Fathers Act was signed into law to ensure Gold 
        Star Fathers were eligible for the same benefits guaranteed to mothers 
        of fallen or permanently disabled members of the Armed Forces, honoring 
        their sacrifice and loss, but this legislation did not designate a Gold 
        Star Father's Day;
Whereas the last Sunday in September was designated by Congress as Gold Star 
        Mother's Day in 1936;
Whereas President Donald Trump designated September 24, 2017, as Gold Star 
        Mother's and Family's Day, and in 2016 President Barack Obama proclaimed 
        September 25, 2016, as Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day;
Whereas the Georgia House of Representatives adopted House Resolution 723 on 
        March 24, 2017, recognizing November 9 as Georgia Gold Star Father Day;
Whereas Father's Day honors and celebrates fatherhood and the unique paternal 
        bonds between a father and his children; and
Whereas the goals of ``Gold Star Father's Day'' on November 9 are to--

    (1) honor and celebrate fathers who have lost children in service to 
the United States of America;

    (2) honor fathers of fallen members of the Armed Forces and recognize 
that they as parents have experienced extraordinary and unimaginable loss;

    (3) recognize the need to support families of members of the Armed 
Forces throughout the United States; and

    (4) honor the courage of fathers who understand the true price of 
freedom and now face Father's Day without their child[ren]: Now, therefore, 
be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the 
designation of ``Gold Star Father's Day''.
                                 <all>
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