Enrolled  May 17, 2019
Passed  IN  Senate  May 16, 2019
Passed  IN  Assembly  April 25, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 63

Introduced by Assembly Members Cooley and Dahle
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O’Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, and Wood)

April 01, 2019

Relative to Child Abuse Prevention Month.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


ACR 63, Cooley. Child Abuse Prevention Month.
This measure would acknowledge April 2019 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and encourage Californians to work together to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools.
Fiscal Committee: NO  
WHEREAS, Preventing child abuse and neglect means strengthening families, so that their children can thrive; and
WHEREAS, Child abuse and neglect continue to pose serious threats to our nation’s children; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 65,342 children in California were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect, and 147 children in California died as a result of child abuse or neglect; and
WHEREAS, Children who have been abused or neglected have a higher risk of developing various health problems as adults, including alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, suicide, and certain chronic diseases; and
WHEREAS, California’s children deserve to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment free from fear, abuse, and neglect; and
WHEREAS, Statewide, child abuse and neglect cases disproportionately involve children of color; and
WHEREAS, Effective programs succeed because of partnerships among human service agencies, community-based organizations, schools, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, and the business community; and
WHEREAS, Family resource centers continue to play a key role in preventing child abuse and neglect in their communities by being community based, family focused, and culturally sensitive collaborative organizations that provide programs and services based on the needs of families; and
WHEREAS, Child abuse and neglect have long-term economic and societal costs; and
WHEREAS, Providing community-based prevention services to families whose children may be at risk of child abuse or neglect is less costly than addressing the emotional and physical damage that can result from child abuse and neglect; and
WHEREAS, Providing community-based prevention services to those families can help avoid the costs of protective services, law enforcement, the judicial system, foster care, and the treatment of adults recovering from abuse as children; and
WHEREAS, Victims of child abuse, whether the abuse is physical, sexual, or emotional, or any combination of these, should have access to a safe place to live, appropriate medical care, and counseling or mental health services; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, Prevent Child Abuse America, the Child Abuse Prevention Center, the California Family Resource Association, and other groups have organized campaigns to increase public awareness of child abuse and to promote ways to prevent child abuse; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation announcing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month; and
WHEREAS, Pinwheels are displayed to increase the awareness of child abuse and to focus on the positive message of preventing child abuse and neglect by supporting families and strengthening communities during Child Abuse Prevention Month; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby acknowledges the month of April 2019 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and encourages the people of the State of California to work together to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools during that month and throughout the year; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.