Supports the designation of Dia de los Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 711 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 711
Expressing support for designation of April 30, 2016, as Dia de los
Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2016
Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (for herself, Mr. Ruiz, Mr.
Vela, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Gallego, Mr.
Castro of Texas, Mr. Sires, and Ms. Velazquez) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for designation of April 30, 2016, as Dia de los
Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans.
Whereas each year, people in many countries throughout the world, and especially
in the Western Hemisphere, celebrate Dia de los Ninos, or Day of the
Children, on April 30th in recognition and celebration of the future of
their country--their children;
Whereas children represent the hopes and dreams of the people of the United
States, and the well-being of children remains one of the top priorities
of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States must nurture and invest in children to
preserve and enhance economic prosperity, democracy, and the spirit of
the United States;
Whereas in 2014, the Census Bureau estimated that approximately 17,800,000 of
the nearly 54,000,000 individuals of Hispanic descent living in the
United States are children under 18 years of age, representing \1/3\ of
the total Hispanic population residing in the United States and roughly
\1/4\ of the total population of children in the United States;
Whereas Hispanic Americans, the youngest and largest racial or ethnic minority
group in the United States, celebrate the tradition of honoring their
children on Dia de los Ninos and wish to share this custom with all
people of the United States;
Whereas, as the United States becomes more culturally and ethnically diverse,
the people of the United States must strive to create opportunities that
provide dignity and upward mobility for all children;
Whereas the primary teachers of family values, morality, and culture are parents
and family members, and children are responsible for passing on family
values, morality, and culture to future generations;
Whereas the importance of literacy and education is most often communicated to
children through family members;
Whereas the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) indicates that Latino students continue to score lower than the
national average on reading assessments conducted at the elementary
school, middle school, and high school levels--an achievement gap that
has persisted for decades;
Whereas the most recent data by NAEP demonstrates that 81 percent of Latino
fourth graders in public schools are not proficient in reading;
Whereas Latino authors and Latino protagonists remain underrepresented in
literature for children, and less than 3 percent of books for children
are written by Latino authors, illustrated by Latino book creators, or
feature significant Latino cultural content, even though \1/4\ of all
public school children are Latino;
Whereas research has shown that culturally relevant literature can increase
student engagement and reading comprehension, yet some Latino students
may go their entire educational experience without seeing themselves
portrayed positively in the books that they read and the stories that
they hear;
Whereas increasing the number and proportion of multicultural authors in
literature for children elevates the voices of the growing diverse
communities in the United States and can serve as an effective strategy
for closing the reading proficiency achievement gap;
Whereas addressing the widening disparities that still exist among children is
of paramount importance to the economic prosperity of the United States;
Whereas the designation of a day to honor the children of the United States will
help affirm the significance of family, education, and community among
the people of the United States;
Whereas the designation of a day of special recognition for the children of the
United States will provide an opportunity for children to reflect on
their futures, articulate their aspirations, and find comfort and
security in the support of their family members and communities;
Whereas families should be encouraged to engage in family and community
activities that include extended and elderly family members and
encourage children to explore and develop confidence;
Whereas the National Latino Children's Institute (NLCI), serving as a voice for
children, has worked with cities throughout the United States to declare
April 30, 2016, as Dia de los Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans, a day
to bring together Latinos and communities across the United States to
celebrate and uplift children;
Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to celebrate the
gifts of children to society and invest in future generations; and
Whereas April 30, 2016, would be an appropriate date to designate as Dia de los
Ninos: Celebrating Young Americans: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the designation of Dia de los Ninos:
Celebrating Young Americans; and
(2) calls on the people of the United States to join with
all children, families, organizations, communities, churches,
cities, and States across the United States to observe the day
with appropriate ceremonies, including activities that--
(A) center around children and are free or minimal
in cost so as to encourage and facilitate the
participation of all people;
(B) are positive and uplifting, and help children
express their hopes and dreams;
(C) provide opportunities for children of all
backgrounds to learn about each other's cultures and
share ideas;
(D) include all family members, especially extended
and elderly family members, so as to promote greater
communication among the generations within families,
which will enable children to appreciate and benefit
from the experiences and wisdom of elderly family
members;
(E) provide opportunities for families within a
community to build relationships; and
(F) provide children with the support they need to
develop skills and confidence and to find the inner
strength, will, and fire of the human spirit to make
their dreams come true.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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