Bill Text: PA HR560 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Expressing horror at recent acts of teen violence that exemplify a growing and dismaying trend; commending the high priority Attorney General Eric Holder is giving to this problem; and urging parents to be role models for positive interaction with others.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-9)

Status: (Passed) 2009-12-17 - Adopted [HR560 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR560-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 2988
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 560 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, PALLONE, PAYTON, WATERS, SANTONI, KIRKLAND, BROWN, SIPTROTH, MUNDY, McGEEHAN, O'NEILL, COHEN, CLYMER, READSHAW, MOUL, PAYNE, GINGRICH, PARKER, BELFANTI, MILNE AND MICOZZIE, DECEMBER 9, 2009
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, DECEMBER 9, 2009
A RESOLUTION
Expressing horror at recent acts of teen violence that exemplify
a growing and dismaying trend; commending the high priority
Attorney General Eric Holder is giving to this problem; and
urging parents to be role models for positive interaction
with others.
WHEREAS, A 15-year-old girl recently was gang-raped after
leaving a homecoming dance in California, and bystanders used
their cell phones to photograph the violence rather than call
for help; and
WHEREAS, In mid-October, five boys surrounded 7th-grader
Michael Brewer in Florida, doused him with alcohol and set him
on fire, an act which he survived but which left him with burns
over 65% of his body; and
WHEREAS, The death of Chicago honor student Derrion Albert in
late September was, like the California gang rape, photographed
on cell phones as a group of boys brutally beat him with wooden
boards within a few blocks of his high school; and
WHEREAS, The event in Chicago prompted Attorney General Eric
Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to hold a news
conference on October 7, 2009, on youth and school violence; and
WHEREAS, In his remarks, Attorney General Holder cited a
recently released Department of Justice study that measures the
effects of youth violence in America: More than 60% of the
children surveyed were exposed to violence over the past year,
nearly 50% were assaulted at least once, 10% were injured in the
assault, 25% were the victims of a theft or vandalism and one in
16 was sexually assaulted; and
WHEREAS, The Attorney General stated that, henceforth, the
Department of Justice seeks to approach the problem of youth
violence in a manner that coordinates national, regional, state
and local efforts; and
WHEREAS, Evidence shows that increasing school security
measures, teaching values in the classroom and increasing police
presence in and around schools does little to curb the frequency
and intensity of youth violence; and
WHEREAS, Although many incidents of youth violence occur in
relation to school, schools did not create the problem nor can
they fix it without overwhelming parental commitment to raising
their children in an environment that places high value on human
life; and
WHEREAS, In an op-ed piece in the November 3, 2009, The
Patriot News, Maryland psychologist Lynette Long, in seeking to
identify the core of the problem, said, "The sad truth is [that]
a cultural shift and technological advances have changed the way
we parent our children, [and have] reduced their respect for
authority and their ability to authentically connect with
others"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Long stated that the majority of today's parents
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allow the television and other machines to replace the "rocking
chair," board games and other personal, parent-child
interaction; and
WHEREAS, Personal, positive interactions between parent and
child lead to opportunities that shape children into persons who
interact positively with others; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives express horror at
recent acts of teen violence that exemplify a growing and
dismaying trend; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend Attorney
General Eric Holder for the high priority he has assigned to the
problem of teen violence nationwide; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge parents to
be role models to their children for interacting positively with
others.
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