BILL NUMBER: ACR 139CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 63 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 8, 2016 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 2, 2016 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 4, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 4, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Thurmond (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chvez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood) FEBRUARY 17, 2016 Relative to Child Abuse Prevention Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 139, Thurmond. Child Abuse Prevention Month. This measure would acknowledge the month of April 2016 as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and encourage the people of the State of California to work together to support youth-serving child abuse prevention activities in their communities and schools. WHEREAS, Child abuse and neglect continue to pose serious threats to our nation's children; and WHEREAS, In 2013, according to the University of California at Berkeley, Center for Social Services Research, approximately 84,000 children in California were found to be victims of abuse or neglect; and WHEREAS, In 2012, according to the State Department of Public Health, 85 children in California died as a result of child abuse and 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, Prevention of child abuse and neglect depends on the involvement of people throughout the community; 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, and other groups have organized Blue Ribbon 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 does hereby acknowledge the month of April 2016 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.