H.C.R. 2 Enrolled

RESOLUTION ON THE FAMILY
1998 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Evan L. Olsen
Don E. Bush
Dennis H. Iverson
Loraine T. Pace
Margaret Dayton
Katherine Bryson
David L. Gladwell
Craig W. Buttars
James R. Gowans
Neal B. Hendrickson
John B. Arrington
Ron Bigelow
Joseph G. Murray
Tammy J. Rowan
Swen C. Nielsen
Richard L. Walsh
Daniel H. Tuttle
Jordan Tanner
J. Brent Haymond
Eli H. Anderson
Lloyd W. Frandsen
Raymond W. Short
John W. Hickman
Orville D. Carnahan
Lowell A. Nelson
David L. Zolman
Brad King
Thomas Hatch
Perry Buckner
Trisha S. Beck
Patrice Arent
Gary F. Cox
Wayne A. Harper
Richard M. Siddoway
Afton B. Bradshaw
Nora B. Stephens
Beverly Ann Evans
Kevin S. Garn
Susan J. Koehn
Greg J. Curtis
Dave Hogue
Glenn Way
John L. Valentine
Gerry A. Adair
Carl R. Saunders
DeMar Bud Bowman

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
EXPRESSING STRONG SUPPORT FOR CAUSES AND ISSUES DESIGNED TO
STRENGTHEN FAMILIES; URGING UTAH'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO EXAMINE
CURRICULUM, POLICIES, AND SCHEDULES BASED ON THEIR IMPACT ON THE
FAMILY; AND EXPRESSING A DETERMINATION TO EVALUATE LEGISLATION OR
RULE AS TO ITS EFFECT ON FAMILIES.
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
WHEREAS the family is the basic unit of society and should be supported, strengthened,
and protected by governments, churches, schools, and all other organizations, both public and
private;
WHEREAS it is the family that unites Americans across religious, ethnic, class, and
political boundaries;
WHEREAS rather than intrude upon a family and its responsibilities, government should
preserve the environment within society that allows families to thrive;

WHEREAS the family is the time honored core of a stable society;
WHEREAS families need love, spirituality, morality, responsibility, accountability, and
opportunity in order to function properly;
WHEREAS today many families are denied these values or principles, and are threatened and
weakened by conditions prevalent in society;
WHEREAS the splintering of the family often leads youth to seek the acceptance
traditionally found in the family from other groups, such as gangs;
WHEREAS our most corrosive social problems, including crime, poverty, immorality, gangs,
drug use, violence, civil disobedience, illiteracy, disrespect, and intolerance can often be driven by
the disintegration of the family unit;
WHEREAS in many instances government programs intended to alleviate these problems
not only often fall short of their goal, but also result in a heavy tax burden on families, which takes
away resources and time that could be better used to care for their needs and thereby lessen these
problems;
WHEREAS the local, state, and national government should carefully scrutinize their laws
and regulations to determine whether they strengthen and sustain families, or weaken, threaten, and
denigrate them;
WHEREAS Utah's public schools should evaluate their curriculum, policies, and schedules
to determine how they impact the family; and
WHEREAS parents, more than governments, schools, or any other entity, are best suited to
raise and nurture their children:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
Governor concurring therein, support and champion those causes and issues that strengthen families
through their emphasis on the responsibility, accountability, opportunity, rights, and freedoms
families need to function as they should.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge government
agencies to work to ensure that their laws and regulations protect and strengthen families.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge local, state, and

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national governments to evaluate their laws and regulations to determine whether they strengthen
and sustain families.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's public
schools to evaluate curriculum, policies, and schedules based on their impact on families and make
adjustments, where needed, to strengthen and sustain families.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the
United States, the Utah Board of Education, each municipality in the state of Utah, and the members
of Utah's congressional delegation.

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