Read the full stored bill text
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2572
Page 1 of 3
XXXX 3/18/2026 11:11 AM Jacketed
A RESOLUTION declaring the Kentucky Senate's acknowledgment and 1
recognition of the value of fatherhood and its impact on building a strong secure society, 2
and honoring the work of Eunice Ray and Dr. Linda Jeffrey. 3
WHEREAS, the involvement of fathers with their families fosters enhanced 4
emotional and social development and promotes confidence, emotional security, and 5
social competence; and 6
WHEREAS, the involvement o f fathers with their families indicates 35 percent 7
greater self -worth and 70 percent fewer instances of relational aggression as well as 8
stronger pro-social behaviors and empathy in early childhood; and 9
WHEREAS, children with resident fathers exhibit super ior academic and cognitive 10
performance, being 43 percent more likely to earn A's, being 33 percent less likely to 11
repeat a grade, and having 25 percent higher college enrollment rates, alongside small -to-12
moderate positive effects on early cognitive functioning and school readiness; and 13
WHEREAS, a new generation of confident and secure as well as emotionally and 14
socially healthy risk -taking entrepreneurs will determine the future prosperity of our 15
nation's economy in a rapidly changing AI-dominated environment; and 16
WHEREAS, a father's presence markedly reduces behavioral problems and 17
delinquency with children in such homes facing 80 percent lower likelihood of jail time 18
as well as 75 percent less chance of school suspension or expulsion; and 19
WHEREAS, households with resident fathers experience greater economic stability 20
with poverty rates of approximately 11 percent compared to 47.6 percent in single -parent 21
homes with a female head of household, thereby reducing economic disadvantage by 25 22
percent to 30 percent and improving long-term career prospects for children; and 23
WHEREAS, father leadership mitigates risks of substance abuse and early sexual 24
activity with nearly 75 percent of youth in substance abuse treatment originating from 25
father-absent homes and the presence of a father decreasing delinquency or substance use 26
by 40 percent and teen pregnancy rates by 75 percent; and 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2572
Page 2 of 3
XXXX 3/18/2026 11:11 AM Jacketed
WHEREAS, research consistently demonstrates that the presence of a father or 1
father figure in the home significantly enhances children's mental health, reducing the 2
risk of mood disorders by up to 4.7 times compared to single -parent homes without a 3
father figure, and buffering against depressive symptoms in adolescence with father -4
absent children showing higher symptom scores by age 18; and 5
WHEREAS, conversely, absence of a father or father figure correlates with severe 6
disadvantages, including four to five times higher poverty rates, 71 percent increased 7
likelihood of students dropping out of high school, two to three times greater risk of teen 8
pregnancy and incarceration, two times higher odds of juvenile delinquency, 63 percent 9
to 75 percent of substance abuse treatment cases, two to four times elevated rates of 10
depression and anxiety, five times higher suicide attempts, and 20 percent to 50 percent 11
worse outcomes in academic, behavioral, and mental health measures; and 12
WHEREAS, the effects of a fatherless household persist into adulthood and 13
transmit intergenerationally with children from father -absent homes more likely to 14
perpetuate similar family structures, underscoring the need for proactive educational 15
interventions; and 16
WHEREAS, recent trends indicat e increasing father presence in U.S. households 17
correlates with improved child well -being and programs promoting responsive parenting 18
further amplify these benefits through enhanced father engagement; and 19
WHEREAS, there is a widely recognized movement of y oung adults rediscovering 20
their spiritual roots in family roles so often expressed in our nation's founding documents 21
and expressed in the Bible with the following verse: "And he will turn the hearts of 22
fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike 23
the land with a decree of utter destruction" (Malachi 4:6); 24
NOW, THEREFORE, 25
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 26
Kentucky: 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2572
Page 3 of 3
XXXX 3/18/2026 11:11 AM Jacketed
Section 1. The value of traditional marriage and a father's leadership in the 1
home is hereby acknowledged and affirmed due to its profound benefits for children's 2
mental, academic, behavioral, emotional, social, and economic well -being. The welfare 3
and future of children requires that fathers be affirmed and restored to leadership in the 4
traditional family unit in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and promoted for the common 5
good. 6
Section 2. The Kentucky Senate honors the lifetime wo rk of Eunice Ray, 7
President of First Principles Press, and Dr. Linda Jeffrey, Director of Research at First 8
Principles Press, in carrying on in their work the legacy of Colonel Ronald Ray and their 9
effort to restore to America the values and principles of the family unit as it was intended 10
to be. 11
Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 12
Resolution to Senator Lindsey Tichenor for delivery. 13