* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Clarke
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
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Constitution Day - September 17, 2013
FOR the purpose of recognizing September 17, 2013 as Constitution and Citizenship Day in Baltimore City, and urging all Baltimoreans, especially our young people, to take this day as an opportunity to reflect on the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the high ideals enshrined in the Constitution and its Amendments, that unite us as Americans.
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Recitals
Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is a federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution, and also recognizes all who have become citizens due to either coming of age or naturalization. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.
The law establishing the holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by the late Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill. Before the law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day." In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," the act - Public Law 108 477 - requires that all schools that receive federal funds of any kind hold educational programming on the history of the American Constitution for their students on September 17 of every year.
According to State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery, the celebration of Constitution Day in the schools is especially appropriate because, "the U.S. Constitution provides the foundation for the United States of America and it highlights the many liberties that we enjoy each and every day. Constitution Day gives the opportunity for all students to put a spotlight on the Constitution, and gain a better understanding about how it enriches all of our lives."
We all have a stake in the health of our democracy. Declining participation, feelings of disenfranchisement, and a loss of faith in our democratic system among our youth can put the health of American democracy at risk. We can reverse this trend by engaging in robust and assertive youth voter education and registration activities.
Constitution Day represents an opportunity to support strong youth civic engagement. We know that youth civic engagement leads to reduced risky behavior, increased success in school, and greater civic participation later in life. Additionally, civic engagement provides young people with opportunities to gain work experience, acquire new skills, and to learn responsibility and accountability - all while contributing to the good of their communities.
This year on Constitution and Citizenship Day, in collaboration with the Maryland Justice Project, the first annual Democracy 16.0 program - so named because it is the age at which someone is eligible to register to vote in the State of Maryland - will launch.
Constitution Day is an ideal time to begin to engage potential new voters. One of the first steps in keeping them engaged in the electoral process, as well as empowering them to become ambassadors in their own communities, is to register youth to vote. And to further encourage them to collaborate to enhance their leadership skills and continue to engage their peers and networks to become civically engaged.
In proclaiming Constitution and Citizenship Day last year, President Obama urged all Americans to "reflect on the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the founding documents from which they were drawn, and the extraordinary legacy of progress they have enabled. Let us forever uphold the ideals the Framers enshrined in our Constitution, and let us never cease in our pursuit of the more perfect Union they imagined so many years ago". These are precisely the sentiments that Constitution and Citizenship Day events in our schools, including the promising new Democracy 16.0 project, can hold up for Baltimore's children to aspire to.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Council recognizes September 17, 2013 as Constitution and Citizenship Day in Baltimore City, and urges all Baltimoreans, especially our young people, to take this day as an opportunity to reflect on the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the high ideals enshrined in the Constitution and its Amendments, that unite us as Americans.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Interim CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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