IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 477 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the States should enact joint 
custody laws for fit parents, so that more children are raised with 
the benefits of having a father and a mother in their lives. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 
Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland (for himself and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) submitted 
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the States should 
enact joint custody laws for fit parents, so that more 
children are raised with the benefits of having a father 
and a mother in their lives. 
Whereas, in the Fatherhood Program provided for in section 
117 of H.R. 240, as introduced in the House of Rep-
resentatives on January 4, 2005, it states that— 
(1) in approximately 84 percent of the cases where 
a parent is absent, that parent is the father; 
(2) if current trends continue, half of all children 
born today will live apart from one of their parents, usu-
ally their father, at some point before they turn 18 years 
old; 
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•HCON 477 IH 
(3) where families (whether intact or with a parent 
absent) are living in poverty, a significant factor is the 
father’s lack of job skills; 
(4) committed and responsible fathering during in-
fancy and early childhood contributes to the development 
of emotional security, curiosity, and math and verbal 
skills; 
(5) an estimated 19,400,000 children (27 percent) 
live apart from their biological fathers; and 
(6) 40 percent of the children under age 18 not liv-
ing with their biological fathers had not seen their fa-
thers even once in the past 12 months, according to na-
tional survey data; 
Whereas single parents are to be commended for the tremen-
dous job that they do with their children; 
Whereas America needs to encourage responsible parenting 
by both fathers and mothers, whenever possible; 
Whereas America needs to encourage both parents (and ex-
tended families) to be actively involved in children’s lives; 
Whereas a way to do that is to encourage joint custody 
(shared parenting); 
Whereas the American Bar Association found in 1997 that 
19 States plus the District of Columbia had some form 
of presumption for joint custody, either legal, physical, or 
both, and since then, 13 additional States have added 
some form of presumption, bringing the current total to 
32 States plus the District of Columbia; 
Whereas Census Bureau data shows a correlation between 
joint custody (shared parenting) and a higher payment of 
financial child support; 
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•HCON 477 IH 
Whereas social science literature shows that children are well 
adjusted in an intact family with two parents in the 
home, and research also shows that for children of di-
vorced, separated, and never married parents, joint cus-
tody is strongly associated with positive outcomes for 
children on important measures of adjustment and well 
being; and 
Whereas research by the Department of Health and Human 
Services shows that the States with the highest amount 
of joint custody subsequently had the lowest divorce rate: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the 
States should pass joint custody laws for fit parents, so 
that more children are raised with the benefits of having 
a father and a mother in their lives. 
Æ 
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