BILL ANALYSIS Ó SCR 21 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 16, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES Richard Gordon, Chair SCR 21 (Jackson) - As Introduced February 24, 2015 SENATE VOTE: 35-0 SUBJECT: Single Parent Day. SUMMARY: Proclaims March 21, 2015, as Single Parent Day. Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1)On March 21, 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first "National Single Parent Day" and the Congress has designated each March 21st thereafter in commemoration of single parents. 2)President Reagan, in his proclamation, recognized that single parents can and do provide children with the financial, physical, emotional, and social support they need to take their places as productive and mature citizens. He further noted that with the active support of friends, relatives, and local communities, they can do even more to raise their children in the best possible environment. SCR 21 Page 2 3)Low wages are very common for United States single parents, and much more common for single parents than for other United States workers. Single parents struggle to pay for child care. In many cases, the average cost of child care is out of reach for a single parent, especially for those with two or more children. 4)The employment rate for single parents in the United States is above the average single-parent employment rate in comparison to high income countries. Despite the above average employment rate, the poverty rate for single-parent families in the United States is far above the average poverty rate for single-parent families in comparison to high income countries. 5)The poverty rate for children in single-parent families is triple the rate for children in two-parent families. In 2012, 42 percent of children in single-parent families were poor, compared to 13 percent of children in two-parent families. Child poverty is linked to poor health and school dropout; to negative adult outcomes including joblessness; which leads to reduced economic output. 6)National Single Parent Day was created to honor and recognize the hard work, devotion, and sacrifices of single parenting. FISCAL EFFECT: None REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION: SCR 21 Page 3 Support National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Sacramento Chapter (SacNCBW) Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by:Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800