H.C.R. 4 Enrolled

RESOLUTION URGING BUSINESSES TO
ADJUST PARENT WORK SCHEDULES
1998 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Robert H. M. Killpack
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR URGING
UTAH BUSINESSES TO WORK WITH EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PARENTS TO ADJUST
WORK SCHEDULES TO REDUCE DAILY CHILD CARE NEEDS.
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
WHEREAS parents, as the party legally responsible to care for their children, should have
an adequate amount of time to be with their children;
WHEREAS studies have clearly shown that the critical years for a child's brain
development are from newborn to three years;
WHEREAS the nurturing and caring of parents during those early years is the most crucial
component of a child's growth;
WHEREAS in many households where both parents work to meet family financial needs
and cannot be with their children for much of the day, child care becomes a necessary option;
WHEREAS many parents, whose work schedules overlap, rely on child care for their
children for eight hours or more each day;
WHEREAS this heavy reliance on child care makes it difficult for parents to fulfill their
parenting role adequately;
WHEREAS the citizens of Utah have been encouraged to stagger their work day and to use
flexible, alternate work schedules in order to ease the burden of traffic congestion;
WHEREAS this concept could be applied by businesses to help their employees who are
parents to reduce the amount of time each day that their children spend in day care;
WHEREAS numerous alternative work schedule options are available to today's employers
that allow greater flexibility without damaging a company's bottom line;
WHEREAS although this would not work in every case, even families with preschool
children could make a concerted effort to reduce their child care needs, which in turn would lower

the family's child care costs; and
WHEREAS with businesses taking the lead and encouraging their employees to come
forward with their needs, a significant amount of the dependency Utahns currently have on child care
would be reduced, while at the same time Utah business would keep pace with the changing, more
flexible view of the eight hour work day common in today's workplace:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
Governor concurring therein, urge Utah businesses and their employees to make a concerted effort
to explore and implement alternative work schedule options to reduce the time their children spend
in child care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Utah's Chambers of
Commerce.

- 2 -