PRINTER'S NO. 633
No. 62 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, O'PAKE, PUNT, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA, WONDERLING, ARMSTRONG, KASUNIC, BOSCOLA, FONTANA, LOGAN, STOUT, TOMLINSON, ERICKSON, RAFFERTY, LAVALLE, DINNIMAN, MELLOW, MUSTO, WAUGH, PILEGGI, WASHINGTON, STACK, C. WILLIAMS, MADIGAN, KITCHEN, ROBBINS, GREENLEAF, BAKER, D. WHITE AND EARLL, MARCH 20, 2007
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 20, 2007
A RESOLUTION 1 Designating the month of April 2007 as "Child Abuse Prevention 2 Month" in Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, Each year more than 1 million children in the United 4 States are documented as the victims of child abuse, and at 5 least 1,500 children die as a result, with children under four 6 years old accounting for 81% of the fatalities; and 7 WHEREAS, Forty Pennsylvania children died in 2005 as a result 8 of abuse and neglect and over 4,000 children were abused in 9 Pennsylvania in 2005; and 10 WHEREAS, The damaging effects of child abuse include, but are 11 not limited to, school failure, alcohol and drug abuse and 12 physical and psychological difficulties; and 13 WHEREAS, Child abuse crosses all racial, economic and 14 geographic boundaries and has reached epidemic proportions 15 across this nation and throughout this Commonwealth; and 16 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted the
1 Newborn Protection Act, or Safe Haven Law, in 2002; and 2 WHEREAS, Thirty of the forty Pennsylvania children who died 3 in 2005 as a result of abuse and neglect were under the age of 4 five years and nine of the children were under the age of one 5 year; and 6 WHEREAS, Only two children have been relinquished under the 7 Newborn Protection Act; and 8 WHEREAS, Child abuse can and must be prevented and awareness 9 raised so that families learn they have access to community 10 resources which offer support, information and guidance to help 11 stop or prevent abusive behaviors or conditions; therefore be it 12 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2007 13 as "Child Abuse Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it 14 further 15 RESOLVED, That the Senate commend those persons who work to 16 treat and prevent child abuse in Pennsylvania and urge all 17 Pennsylvanians to do their part in preventing the tragedy of 18 child abuse. C19L82BIL/20070S0062R0633 - 2 -