House Bill hb1283

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1283

        By Representative Ausley






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Parents' and Children's Day;

  3         amending s. 683.17, F.S.; renaming "Children's

  4         Day" as "Parents' and Children's Day"; changing

  5         the designated day for the celebration of

  6         Parents' and Children's Day; providing an

  7         effective date.

  8

  9         WHEREAS, the Legislature intends that Florida Parents'

10  and Children's Day become the model for a National Parents'

11  and Children's Day, and

12         WHEREAS, the public awareness component of Parents' and

13  Children's Day is designed to encourage public and private

14  entities to demonstrate Florida's support of child well-being,

15  and

16         WHEREAS, the key indicators of child well-being include

17  children who are healthy, safe, and ready to learn; families

18  that are stable, nurturing, and self-sufficient; and

19  communities that are supportive of families raising children,

20  and

21         WHEREAS, every parent in Florida should have access to

22  prenatal and infant health care; training and education in

23  parenting skills to help build healthy families; high-quality

24  child care and early learning opportunities; safe and

25  enriching after-school experiences; and access to delinquency

26  prevention programs and services to treat children with

27  problems, NOW, THEREFORE,

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29  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1283

    745-112A-02






  1         Section 1.  Section 683.17, Florida Statutes, is

  2  amended to read:

  3         683.17  Parents' and Children's Day.--The first Sunday

  4  second Tuesday in April of each year is designated as Parents'

  5  and Children's Day. On this day local communities and

  6  families, together with public officials, schools, private

  7  organizations, and all citizens, are encouraged to celebrate

  8  the lives and blessings of Florida's children with love,

  9  respect, gratitude, and encouragement; both to acknowledge our

10  Florida's children as the resource giving our state it the

11  greatest hope of future excellence; to listen to children and

12  to reaffirm our shared their commitment to help them Florida's

13  children develop their unique qualities, strengths, and

14  potential, resulting in greater productive capacity and

15  enlightened citizenship; and to observe this day with

16  appropriate activities, ceremonies, public awareness

17  materials, and programs. All citizens of the state are

18  encouraged to wear a white ribbon on Parents' and Children's

19  Day which shall indicate that our children are considered to

20  be special gifts and are valued for their part in the circle

21  of life.

22         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

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25                          HOUSE SUMMARY

26
      Changes the designated day for the celebration of
27    Children's Day and renames "Children's Day" as "Parents'
      and Children's Day."
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.