* 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: President Dixon
At the request of: CASA Family Day c/o Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Chairman and President
Address: 633 Third Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10017
Telephone: 212-841-5260
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
September 26, 2005 - Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children
FOR the purpose of proclaiming the 4th Monday in September as Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children and urging all citizens of Baltimore to recognize the importance of family dinners and to participate in the celebration of this day by eating dinner with their children.
Body
Recitals
The use of illegal drugs and the abuse of alcohol and nicotine constitute the greatest threats to the well being of America's children. The State Department of Education reports that 6.5% of 6th graders, 18.1% of 8th graders, and 20.2% of 12th graders in Baltimore City admitted to smoking cigarettes; and 15.9% of 6 graders, 36.3% of 8th graders, and 57.5% of 12th graders in Baltimore City drank some form of alcoholic beverage in the 2002-2003 school year.
Surveys conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University have consistently found that the more often children and teenagers eat dinner with their families the less likely they are to smoke, drink, and use illegal drugs.
Statistics show that teenagers who virtually never eat dinner with their families are 72% more likely than the average teenager to use illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, while teenagers who almost always eat dinner with their families are 31% less likely than the average teenager to use illegal drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Other research shows that teenagers who eat dinner with their families are more likely to do well in school, be emotionally content, have positive peer relationships, develop healthier eating habits, and be at a lower risk for depression and thoughts of suicide.
The correlation between family dinners and the reduced risk for teen substance abuse are well documented. Parental influence has long been known to be one of the crucial factors in determining the likelihood of substance abuse by teenagers, and family dinners have long constituted a pillar of family life in America.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body proclaims the 4th Monday in September as Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children and urges all citizens of Baltimore to recognize the importance of family dinners and to participate in the celebration of this day by eating dinner with their children.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Chairman and President of CASA Family Day, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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