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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A FATHERHOOD TASK FORCE TO
   PROMOTE STRONG FAMILIES THROUGH POSITIVE FATHERING.


 1        WHEREAS, policy makers and others who help to shape social
 2   policy increasingly recognize that the increasing numbers of
 3   children who are growing up without fathers is a critical
 4   problem; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, while acknowledging that this is a complex and
 7   controversial phenomenon, researchers assert that two facts are
 8   beyond dispute:  that this trend is not a good thing for most
 9   children involved and that the share of children in mother-only
10   families is increasing dramatically; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, in 1994, twenty-four per cent of American
13   children lived in mother-only families, representing 19,000,000
14   children; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, father-absent families are becoming the norm in a
17   growing number of neighborhoods, with more than 4,500,000
18   children growing up in neighborhoods where more than one-half
19   of all families with children are headed by women only; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, this trend toward father-absent families is
22   occurring not only in inner cities or among certain ethnic
23   groups, but in every state and throughout cities, suburbs, and
24   rural areas and among all racial groups; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, many of the children in mother-only families
27   either do not know their fathers or are disconnected from them;
28   and
29   
30        WHEREAS, researchers agree that father-absence has clear
31   negative economic and psychological consequences for children
32   and is costly for society; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, researchers have posited that the decline of
35   fatherhood is a "major force behind many of the most disturbing
36   problems that plague American society:  crime and delinquency;
37   teen-age pregnancy; deteriorating educational achievement;
38   depression, substance abuse, and alienation among adolescents;
39   and the growing number of women and children living in
40   poverty"; and
41   

 
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 1        WHEREAS, it is acknowledged that the causes of
 2   fatherlessness are complex and require an examination and
 3   understanding of the multiple institutional, social, and
 4   cultural factors that contribute to fatherlessness; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, family policy and family service programs have
 7   long ignored or marginalized fathers and the important role
 8   they play within the family structure; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, this is beginning to change as fatherhood
11   organizations and programs are gaining momentum; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, the Legislature believes that policy and
14   programming must be changed to focus on fathers as an essential
15   component of strengthening and supporting families; now,
16   therefore,
17   
18        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
19   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
20   of 1999, that the Governor, in collaboration with affected
21   state agencies, the counties, the business sector, and
22   communities of faith, is requested to convene a Fatherhood Task
23   Force to promote strong families through positive fathering
24   initiatives; and
25   
26        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Fatherhood Task Force is
27   requested to:
28   
29        (1)  Examine public and private employment practices and
30             initiate and support practices that will enhance the
31             importance of fatherhood and father-friendly
32             policies;
33   
34        (2)  Promote the importance of father-friendly policies
35             and stress the importance of fathers in actions and
36             programs by public and private agencies that receive
37             funding from the State;
38   
39        (3)  Support the Hawaii Coalition for Dads, a
40             collaboration of private and public agencies
41             committed to exploring the needs of fathers and
42             creating initiative supporting fatherhood;
43   
44        (4)  Declare June Fathers Month with June 26, 1999 as the
45             date of the first annual Father's Celebration;
46   
47        (5)  Evaluate whether the State's education system

 
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 1             promotes the qualities and importance of positive
 2             fatherhood and propose changes to achieve this goal;
 3             and
 4   
 5        (6)  Recommend and encourage other programs and activities
 6             by public agencies, community organizations, and
 7             communities of faith to promote positive fatherhood,
 8             including developing resources for children who are
 9             being raised without a positive father figure;
10   
11   and
12   
13        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Fatherhood Task Force is
14   requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including
15   any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than
16   twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of
17   2000; and
18   
19        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
20   Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Directors of
21   Human Services and Health, the Superintendent of Education, the
22   Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Mayors of the
23   respective counties, and the Chairpersons of the respective
24   county councils.
25   
26 
27 
28 
29                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________