IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 167
Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers in their children’s
lives, especially on Father’s Day.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 14, 2001
Ms. CARSON of Indiana (for herself, Mr. BISHOP, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr.
CLAY, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr.
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. HILL-
IARD, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas,
Ms. LEE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms.
NORTON, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis-
sissippi, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATSON of California, Mr. WATT of North
Carolina, and Mr. WYNN) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
RESOLUTION
Encouraging and promoting greater involvement of fathers
in their children’s lives, especially on Father’s Day.
Whereas 40 percent of children who live in fatherless house-
holds 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;
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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 be-
come pregnant as teenagers;
Whereas the Federal Government spends billions of dollars to
address these social ills and very little to promote respon-
sible fatherhood;
Whereas many of the leading experts on family and child de-
velopment in the United States agree that it is in the
best interest of both children and the United States to
encourage more 2-parent, father-involved families;
Whereas child support is an important means by which a par-
ent can take financial responsibility for a child, and emo-
tional support is an important means by which a parent
can take social responsibility for a child;
Whereas it is important to promote responsible fatherhood
and encourage loving and healthy relationships between
parents and their children in order to increase the chance
that children will have 2 caring parents to help them
grow up healthy and secure;
Whereas the promotion of responsible fatherhood should not
(1) denigrate the standing or parenting efforts of single
mothers, whose efforts are heroic, (2) lessen the protec-
tion 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;
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Whereas children learn by example, and community programs
that help mold young men into positive role models for
their children need to be encouraged; and
Whereas Congress has begun to take notice of this issue with
legislation introduced in both the House of Representa-
tives and the Senate to address the epidemic of absent
fathers: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the need to encourage active in-
volvement of fathers in the rearing and development
of their children;
(2) recognizes that while there are millions of
fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for
their children, there are children who will have no
one with whom to celebrate on Father’s Day;
(3) urges fathers to participate in their chil-
dren’s lives, both financially and emotionally;
(4) encourages fathers to devote time, energy,
and resources to their children;
(5) urges fathers to understand the level of re-
sponsibility required when fathering a child and to
fulfill that responsibility;
(6) is committed to assisting absent fathers to
become more responsible and engaged in their chil-
dren’s lives; and
(7) calls upon fathers around the country to use
Father’s Day to reconnect and rededicate themselves
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to their children’s lives, to spend Father’s Day with
their children, and to express their love and support
for their children.
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