HB 88 AM: "An Act establishing May 1 as Family Day and the month of May as Preservation of the Family Month; and relating to the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the family."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 88 am 01 "An Act establishing May 1 as Family Day and the month of May as 02 Preservation of the Family Month; and relating to the prevention of child abuse 03 and neglect in the family." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. FINDINGS. The legislature makes the following findings: 06 (1) the term "Mayday" is a call for help, alerting others of distress and danger; 07 (2) Alaska children are in danger, as demonstrated by the fact that 08 (A) Alaska has the worst rate of child death and violent teen death in 09 the country; and 10 (B) nationally, a child dies from poverty every 53 minutes and a child 11 is abused or neglected every 13 seconds; 12 (3) the institution of the family has been in great danger of a gradual 13 disintegration for a long time, and people need to pay immediate attention to preserving the 14 family;
01 (4) in the month of May, people celebrate Mother's Day, which should remind 02 people of the famous quotation, "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the 03 world"; 04 (5) everyone agrees that the parental role is important in a society and that a 05 loving and caring family creates the best environment for the healthy growth of children; 06 (6) May 1 follows a month, April, that is dedicated to the prevention of child 07 abuse; 08 (7) May also represents early spring, the growth of flowers, and the 09 rejuvenation of plants, life, and activity in nature. 10 * Sec. 2. AS 44.12 is amended by adding a new section to read: 11 Sec. 44.12.075. FAMILY DAY AND FAMILY PRESERVATION MONTH. 12 Family Day is established on May 1 of each year to celebrate the institution of the 13 family. The month of May each year is established as Preservation of the Family 14 Month to encourage the preservation of the institution of the family. Family Day and 15 Preservation of the Family Month may be observed by suitable observances by families 16 such as a family discussion of the role of families, the changing definition of the 17 family in modern society, the rights of children and the responsibilities of parents, and 18 appropriate methods for resolution of violent feelings in family conflict, and exercises 19 by civic groups and the public. In observance of Family Preservation Month, the 20 Department of Health and Social Services as a part of its annual report shall make 21 recommendations to the legislature to encourage the prevention of child abuse and 22 neglect in Alaska families.