First Substitute S.C.R. 8

Senator Gene Davis proposes the following substitute bill:

1 FATHERS DO MATTER CONCURRENT
2 RESOLUTION
3 2010 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Gene Davis
6 House Sponsor: David Litvack
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges government
11 agencies and nonprofit organizations to support responsible fatherhood programs.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . urges government agencies and nonprofit organizations to support responsible
15 fatherhood programs to help fathers connect with children and develop essential
16 parenting skills.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
21 WHEREAS, the effects of father-absent households have contributed to poverty,
22 maternal and child health risks, incarceration, crime, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, drug and
23 alcohol abuse, lack of education, and childhood obesity;
24 WHEREAS, father-absent households create a substantial drain on societal and
25 government resources;

26 WHEREAS, in Utah, many organizations have not been educated on the significant role
27 fathers play in resolving social issues in communities throughout the state;
28 WHEREAS, many fathers have not grasped how they, as role models, impact their
29 children;
30 WHEREAS, to the extent fathers struggle to accept and fulfill their responsibilities to
31 family members, communities in the state are at risk;
32 WHEREAS, a study conducted by the National Fatherhood Initiative reports that the
33 federal government spends $100,000,000,000 every year to support father-absent households;
34 WHEREAS, the actual amount may be higher because the study did not measure the
35 impact of related costs like the criminal justice system, which is overwhelmed by men who
36 grew up in father-absent households;
37 WHEREAS, any serious effort to address poverty, child abuse, crime and recidivism,
38 drug abuse, teen pregnancy, or lack of education must make restoring fatherhood an integral
39 part of the solution;
40 WHEREAS, a father-absent household is not a single issue, and its social and economic
41 consequences are felt across society;
42 WHEREAS, 25,000,000 men, or one out of three, grow up in homes where their
43 biological father does not reside;
44 WHEREAS, these children are significantly more likely to live in poverty, drop out of
45 school, and engage in risky behaviors; and
46 WHEREAS, government agencies and nonprofit organizations should understand the
47 dynamics of responsible fatherhood programs to most effectively address the impact
48 father-absent households have on families and communities:
49 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
50 Governor concurring therein, urge government agencies and nonprofit organizations to support
51 responsible fatherhood programs to help fathers connect with children and develop essential
52 parenting skills.
53 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
54 Department of Human Services, the Utah Association of Counties, the Utah League of Cities
55 and Towns, the United Way, and the Utah Nonprofit Association.