House Resolution 46

PAG LIN

  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2       BY  HEDDENS, WATTS, GRANZOW, HUTTER, SWAIM,
  1  3        GREIMANN, WISE, BOGGESS, TJEPKES, SMITH,
  1  4      THOMAS, GASKILL, DE BOEF, WHITAKER, REASONER,
  1  5     CONNORS, WENDT, ROBERTS, KURTENBACH, and STRUYK
  1  6 A Resolution relating to support of Best Buddies Iowa
  1  7    and urging continued federal funding of the program.
  1  8    WHEREAS, there are more than 7.5 million people
  1  9 with intellectual disabilities in the United States
  1 10 and as many as 250 million worldwide; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, individuals with intellectual disabilities
  1 12 often experience isolation and exclusion from
  1 13 community activities because of limited opportunities
  1 14 to associate with persons other than their immediate
  1 15 family and paid workers; and
  1 16    WHEREAS, Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization
  1 17 dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with
  1 18 intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities
  1 19 for one=to=one friendships and integrated employment;
  1 20 and
  1 21    WHEREAS, Best Buddies has grown from one chapter on
  1 22 one college campus to a vibrant, international
  1 23 organization involving participants annually on more
  1 24 than 750 middle school, high school, and college
  1 25 campuses in the United States, Canada, Cuba, Egypt,
  1 26 Greece, Ireland, and Sweden; and
  1 27    WHEREAS, Best Buddies has touched the lives of over
  1 28 175,000 individuals in its 13=year existence; and
  1 29    WHEREAS, Best Buddies Iowa currently serves nine
  1 30 college chapters and nine high school chapters within
  2  1 our state and has a long=term goal of involving all
  2  2 schools within Iowa in its mission to bring
  2  3 friendships to individuals with intellectual
  2  4 disabilities; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  5    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2  6 That the Iowa House of Representatives appreciates the
  2  7 work that Best Buddies Iowa performs and urges the
  2  8 federal government to continue to fund this program;
  2  9 and
  2 10    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa House of
  2 11 Representatives encourages state agencies, county
  2 12 central points of coordination, education providers,
  2 13 and area education agencies to work with Best Buddies
  2 14 Iowa to find additional funding for a middle school
  2 15 program and to further expand its current programs
  2 16 into additional communities; and
  2 17    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
  2 18 Resolution be sent by the Chief Clerk of the House of
  2 19 Representatives to the President of the United States,
  2 20 the President of the Senate of the United States, the
  2 21 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives;
  2 22 the majority and minority leaders of the United States
  2 23 Senate, the majority and minority leaders of the
  2 24 United States House of Representatives, and each
  2 25 member of Iowa's congressional delegation.
  2 26 LSB 2674HH 80
  2 27 dea/cf/24.1