H-5347.1  _______________________________________________

                 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 4423

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Representatives Johnson, Brumsickle, Radcliff, Cole, Quall, Talcott, McMahan, Hatfield, Thompson, Mulliken, Sheldon, Smith, Stevens, Clements, Hargrove, Sterk, Beeksma, H. Sommers, Wolfe, Kessler, Elliot, K. Schmidt, Lambert, Silver, Casada, Carrell, Chandler, Sherstad, B. Thomas, Crouse, Buck, Pelesky, Cooke, McMorris, D. Schmidt, Hymes, Mastin, Mitchell, Huff, Fuhrman, Goldsmith, Blanton, Delvin, Cairnes, Hankins, Sehlin, L. Thomas, Honeyford, Carlson, Backlund, Mason, Linville, Conway, D. Sommers, Scheuerman, Romero, Ogden, Brown, R. Fisher, Cody, Murray, Costa, Tokuda, Regala and Dickerson

Read first time 3/5/96.

Requesting the governor to declare the Year of the Reader.

    WHEREAS, Reading is a basic life skill and the foundation for all future learning, and students need to graduate from high school with adequate reading skills; and

    WHEREAS, Teachers, parents, educators, librarians, state-wide education associations, literacy councils, local school districts, business, higher education, and educational service districts are interested in promoting ideas with regard to the effective teaching of reading; and

    WHEREAS, The world is moving into a technological-information age in which full participation in education, science, business, industry, and other professions will require increasing levels of literacy; and

    WHEREAS, Research clearly shows that children read better if they are read to at home, encouraged to read in their free time, and when their parents value education, and students need to be encouraged to spend considerably more time reading than watching television; and

    WHEREAS, There is a documented connection between illiteracy and juvenile crime; and

    WHEREAS, There are many state-wide education organizations that plan to focus their attention on the teaching and learning of reading; and

    WHEREAS, A state-wide focus on literacy will result in improved instruction state-wide and create an atmosphere that fosters a love of reading;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That the House of Representatives and the Senate respectfully pray that the Governor of the state of Washington declare 1997 as the Year of the Reader; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Mike Lowry, Governor, and to the Honorable Judith Billings, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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