IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 316
Expressing the sense of the Congress that government policy should seek
to reduce the financial penalties against marriage within the welfare
system, and should support married couples in forming and sustaining
healthy, loving, and productive marriages.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 6, 2002
Mr. PITTS
(for himself, Mr. AKIN, Mr. GOODE, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr.
HILLEARY, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. BARR
of Georgia, and Mr. NORWOOD) submitted the following concurrent reso-
lution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that government policy
should seek to reduce the financial penalties against mar-
riage within the welfare system, and should support mar-
ried couples in forming and sustaining healthy, loving,
and productive marriages.
Whereas both men and women who marry live longer, enjoy
better health, and manage chronic illness better than oth-
erwise similar people who are not married;
Whereas married people are significantly less likely to suffer
from the problems of alcoholism and depression than
non-married adults;
•HCON 316 IH
Whereas mothers who have married are almost half as likely
to suffer from domestic violence as mothers who have
never married, and married women are 4 to 5 times less
likely to be victims of violent crime than single and di-
vorced women;
Whereas marriage boosts the wealth and earnings of adults
through known economic processes, including economies
of scale, specialization, and risk pooling;
Whereas the institution of marriage strengthens the economy
by increasing productivity, savings, and investment;
Whereas the erosion of marriage imposes substantial hard-
ships on children, adults, and society at large;
Whereas roughly 1 child in 3 in the United States is born
out of wedlock and nearly half of those born to married
parents will experience the divorce of their parents before
age 18;
Whereas a child born and raised by a single parent is 7 times
more likely to live in poverty than a child born and raised
by married parents;
Whereas a child born to and raised by married parents is 5
times less likely to be dependent on welfare than a child
born and raised by a single parent;
Whereas children raised by married parents are less likely to
suffer from behavior problems and emotional disturb-
ances, are less likely to engage in disorderly conduct and
juvenile delinquency, and are less likely to experience
physical and sexual abuse, suicide, substance abuse, and
teen pregnancy than children raised outside of marriage;
Whereas children whose parents never marry or get divorced
are less likely to graduate from high school and as adults
•HCON 316 IH
are more likely to be unemployed and to experience eco-
nomic hardship;
Whereas boys raised by single parents are almost twice as
likely to have committed a crime and spend time in jail
by the time they reach their early thirties; and
Whereas children whose parents never marry or get divorced
are more likely to divorce or have children out of wedlock
themselves, thereby transmitting the pattern of unstable
marriages to future generations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that
healthy marriages are highly important to the well-being
of children, adults, and society in general, and that gov-
ernment policy should seek to reduce the financial pen-
alties against marriage within the welfare system, and
should support couples who choose to marry and assist
them in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to
form and sustain healthy, loving, and productive mar-
riages.
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