H.C.R. 2

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RESOLUTION ON THE FAMILY
2 1998 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Sponsor: Evan L. Olsen
5 Don E. Bush
6 Dennis H. Iverson
7 Loraine T. Pace
8 Margaret Dayton
9 Katherine Bryson
10 David L. Gladwell
11 Craig W. Buttars
12 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

13 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
14 EXPRESSING STRONG SUPPORT FOR CAUSES AND ISSUES DESIGNED TO
15 STRENGTHEN FAMILIES; URGING UTAH'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO EXAMINE
16 CURRICULUM, POLICIES, AND SCHEDULES BASED ON THEIR IMPACT ON THE
17 FAMILY; AND EXPRESSING A DETERMINATION TO EVALUATE LEGISLATION OR
18 RULE AS TO ITS EFFECT ON FAMILIES.
19 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
20 WHEREAS the family is the basic unit of society and should be supported, strengthened,
21 and protected by governments, churches, schools, and all other organizations, both public and
22 private;
23 WHEREAS it is the family that unites Americans across religious, ethnic, class, and
24 political boundaries;
25 WHEREAS rather than intrude upon a family and its responsibilities, government should
26 preserve the environment within society that allows families to thrive;
27 WHEREAS the family is the time honored core of a stable society;
28 WHEREAS families need love, spirituality, morality, responsibility, accountability, and
29 opportunity in order to function properly;

1 WHEREAS today many families are denied these values or principles, and are threatened
2 and weakened by conditions prevalent in society;
3 WHEREAS the splintering of the family often leads youth to seek the acceptance
4 traditionally found in the family from other groups, such as gangs;
5 WHEREAS our most corrosive social problems, including crime, poverty, immorality,
6 gangs, drug use, violence, civil disobedience, illiteracy, disrespect, and intolerance can often be
7 driven by the disintegration of the family unit;
8 WHEREAS in many instances government programs intended to alleviate these problems
9 not only often fall short of their goal, but also result in a heavy tax burden on families, which takes
10 away resources and time that could be better used to care for their needs and thereby lessen these
11 problems;
12 WHEREAS the local, state, and national government should carefully scrutinize their laws
13 and regulations to determine whether they strengthen and sustain families, or weaken, threaten,
14 and denigrate them;
15 WHEREAS Utah's public schools should evaluate their curriculum, policies, and schedules
16 to determine how they impact the family; and
17 WHEREAS parents, more than governments, schools, or any other entity, are best suited
18 to raise and nurture their children:
19 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
20 Governor concurring therein, support and champion those causes and issues that strengthen
21 families through their emphasis on the responsibility, accountability, opportunity, rights, and
22 freedoms families need to function as they should.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge government
24 agencies to work to ensure that their laws and regulations protect and strengthen families.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge local, state, and
26 national governments to evaluate their laws and regulations to determine whether they strengthen
27 and sustain families.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's public
29 schools to evaluate curriculum, policies, and schedules based on their impact on families and make
30 adjustments, where needed, to strengthen and sustain families.
31 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the

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1 United States, the Utah Board of Education, each municipality in the state of Utah, and the
2 members of Utah's congressional delegation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 12-30-97 10:25 AM

A limited legal review of this bill raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

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