HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 36
(Dy Delegates Boggs, Azinger, Beach, Brown, Butcher, Campbell,
Canterbury, Crosier, Ellem, Ennis, Evans, Ferro, Fragale,
Frazier, Hamilton, Hartman, Iaquinta, Klempa, Louisos, Manypenny,
Marshall, Michael, Moore, Morgan, Perry, Ross, Shaver, Spencer,
Stowers, Swartzmiller, Talbott and Walker)
[Introduced March 19, 2009]
"Urging the U.S. Congress to enact the Education Begins at Home
Act."
Whereas, West Virginia faced serious challenges regarding the
well-being of our children including one of the nation's highest
rates of child abuse and neglect; and,
Whereas, In-Home Family Education programs help address these
challenges by providing voluntary parenting education and support
to vulnerable families with very young children through home
visits, and helping parents understand their role as their child's
first and most important teacher; and,
Whereas, In-Home Family Education programs provide information
and support in such areas as prenatal care, child health, early
learning and literacy, and child development and behavior; and,
Whereas, Research indicates that a comprehensive statewide
system of In-Home Family Education in West Virginia could save $250 million per year by reducing the number of low birth weight babies,
increasing immunizations rates, and reductions in child
maltreatment; and,
Whereas, The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has
stated that "
up to 40% of all child maltreatment could be prevented
if home visiting was widely available" and the National Conference
of State Legislatures has concluded that nationally "
the
predominant and most thoroughly researched child abuse prevention
strategy is early childhood home visitation"; and,
Whereas, On June 18, 2008 the Education and Labor Committee of
the U.S. House of Representatives recommended passage of the bi-
partisan Education Begins at Home Act that would authorize $400
million over three years in grants from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services to states for voluntary early childhood
home visiting programs; and,
Whereas, The Education Begins at Home Act has bi-partisan
support being sponsored by Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), Senator Jay
Rockefeller (D-WV) and 32 members of the U.S. Senate, as well as 67
members of the U.S. House of Representatives; and,
Whereas, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden
also co-sponsored the Education Begins at Home Act as U.S. Senators
and have pledged to expand home visiting services to assist
approximately 570,000 first-time mothers each year; and,
Whereas, In-Home Family Education programs are currently serving families in only 22 West Virginia counties and many more
families could benefit greatly from these services; and,
Whereas, Statewide expansion of these effective programs will
be enhanced and expedited with the support of federal funding
through passage of the Education Begins at Home Act; and,
Whereas, Expansion of these programs has been endorsed by
leading state and national organizations including, but not limited
to, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Imagine West Virginia,
Prevent Child Abuse America, TEAM for West Virginia Children,
Voices for America's Children, and the West Virginia Center on
Budget & Policy; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the House of Delegates hereby urges the U.S. Congress to
enact the Education Begins at Home Act, and provide funding to
states for voluntary In-Home Family Education programs; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
forward a copy of this resolution to members of the West Virginia
congressional delegation, the Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the U.S.
House of Representatives, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader
of the U.S. Senate, and the President of the United States.
Email
Webmaster | © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **
