ENROLLED
Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2010
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 159
BY REPRESENTATIVES WILLMOTT, ABRAMSON, BARROW, BURFORD,
DOERGE, HILL, HINES, MICHAEL JACKSON, JOHNSON, KATZ,
LABRUZZO, LEBAS, MILLS, NOWLIN, POPE, AND SIMON AND SENATOR
THOMPSON
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend the Department of Social Services on receiving a national bronze 2010 Telly
Award for the department's public service television commercial to raise awareness
of the Safe Haven Law of this state.
WHEREAS, all states currently have laws in place to allow an unharmed infant to
be relinquished to the proper authorities; and
WHEREAS, these laws and the programs provided for therein are known collectively
as "Safe Haven"; and
WHEREAS, Act No. 609 of the 2003 Regular Session of the Legislature created the
Safe Haven program of this state; and
WHEREAS, the Safe Haven Law of this state provides a mechanism whereby any
parent may relinquish the care of an infant less than thirty-one-days old to a designated
emergency care facility, otherwise known as a Safe Haven relinquishment site, in safety,
anonymity, and without fear of prosecution; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Social Services, hereafter referred to as
"department", carries out vital functions of Safe Haven such as initiating proceedings to free
relinquished infants for adoption, creating Safe Haven training information for use in
designated emergency care facilities, and providing information to the public on the Safe
Haven Law; and
WHEREAS, it is widely affirmed among child protection professionals and
concerned citizens of this state that greater public awareness of Safe Havens can prevent
tragic incidents of infant abandonment and death; and
WHEREAS, the department of its own initiative in 2009 coordinated existing
resources to conduct a multifaceted public information campaign on Safe Haven which
included two public service television commercials that aired statewide; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 159
Page 2 of 2
WHEREAS, in the six years of existence of Safe Havens in Louisiana, over one-third
of all newborn relinquishments to Safe Haven sites have occurred since the commencement
of the department's 2009 public information campaign; and
WHEREAS, in April 2010, the department was awarded a national bronze Telly
Award for one of the Safe Haven public service television commercials; and
WHEREAS, the Telly Award was founded in 1978 and is the premier award
honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, with
past winners including the Public Broadcasting Service, NFL Films, NBC Universal, the
Weather Channel, and Harpo Productions; and
WHEREAS, the department has created a stand-alone website for the Safe Haven
campaign, www.louisianasafehaven.com, on which the award-winning commercial and other
informational material can be viewed; and
WHEREAS, through many programs and services, the department has shown
remarkable leadership in promoting the safety of children as exemplified by the Safe Haven
public information campaign.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend the Department of Social Services for being awarded a national bronze 2010 Telly
Award for the department's public service television commercial to raise awareness of the
Safe Haven Law.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana encourages
television stations in this state to continue airing the Safe Haven commercials as public
service announcements.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the secretary of the Department of Social Services.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE