Senate Resolution 773--Recognizing Father's Day and the Role A Father Plays in the Lives of Children and Adults

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MOODY. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the Presiding Officer as a father and so many others that this weekend will be celebrated as part of our Nation's day of celebration of all of our fathers here in our country. This is especially meaningful to me because I think it is so important to highlight a group of very special individuals that have played such a large role in my life. And I know everyone here today, including the pages that help us out, is going to be spending the weekend celebrating their fathers too, as they should.

Dads play an indelible role in our lives, and I am proud to be married to a great dad. In fact, when I became the attorney general of the great free State of Florida, I had a young child at home, and my husband, who is a true hero, a hero dad--he is a career law enforcement officer--really stepped up. Our entire family was involved in that effort when I served.

Just to illustrate, when I became the attorney general, I was the first mom of a school-age child on the Florida cabinet. So I really relied on my incredible husband Justin--and what an amazing dad.

Just to illustrate, I wanted to put up a picture of my family at the time--my young son--when I became the attorney general, and without their support, we wouldn't have done all that we did to protect the great State, strengthen our communities, and make it the free State of Florida that it is today.

My husband Justin works long hours as a law enforcement officer, as you can see. More recently, when I became a U.S. Senator, he is still waking up every day, being a dad first and foremost but then putting on a badge and a bulletproof vest and going to work to protect others while he supports everybody else in the community as much as he supports those of us at home.

I just have to say I know I am not alone as a mom that wants to praise the dad in her life. In fact, the first celebration of Father's Day in 1910 was spurred on and founded by a mom. She had just become a mom--her name was Sonora Smart Dodd--and she recognized after hearing a Mother's Day sermon that she thought we should give something that was just as emphatic and passionate to support our dads. So it was a mom that launched and initiated the first Father's Day recognition back in 1910.

So it is an honor for me, as one of the very few moms of a kid under 18 in the U.S. Senate, to be the one to recognize Father's Day this upcoming weekend and introduce a resolution recognizing Father's Day and the role that fathers play in the lives of children and adults. I have introduced that for the Record, and it is an honor to do so.

I remember so many times when my law enforcement husband would go away for extended periods of time--whether it was to become a firearms instructor with the DEA or when he went to the National Academy at Quantico for months--he would come home--fly late at night--to make sports games or to help with homework.

I know all fathers around the Nation give 110 percent to their kids, and as Father's Day approaches, I wanted the U.S. Senate to recognize how important having good fathers in children's lives is.

I was so proud of my own State when I was attorney general and we passed the Responsible Dad Act, which provided mentoring, one-on-one support, and evidence-based educational programming to help enhance parenting skills and help fathers stay actively involved in their kids lives.

I am so proud of the Senate. Just today--and I know the Presiding Officer joins me in this--on the HELP Committee, we passed out legislation just today, before I came in here, as part of the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act that supports dads being involved in their kids' lives. It also supports mentoring, a dad initiative, and we know that is so important for our young kids to develop into healthy, independent adults.

So I recognize my own benefit from having a father that was engaged. He showed me how to live a life of service professionally. I have also benefited from having father figures in my extended family that have played a large role in my success in life, and I will always be grateful.

With that, I thank the Presiding Officer for permitting me time to introduce the resolution to recognize this weekend as Father's Day and to say thank you and to give encouragement to the fathers across our country that will raise the next generation of leaders that will guide our country for the next 250 years.

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