Prince George’s County to Establish Commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys
April 21, 2017
For Immediate Release
Statement of Prince George’s County Councilman Mel Franklin on the Council’s Unanimous Vote to Establish a Commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys
Council Also Votes to Require the Public to be Informed about All County Government Public Meetings on a Central Website
Contact: Mel@melfranklin.net
Upper Marlboro, MD – At Tuesday’s Council session, the County Council unanimously adopted CB-9-2017 to establish a Commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys in Prince George’s County to pursue policies and programs “that will effectively address the social economic concerns of fathers, men, and boys, including: (1) Fatherlessness and responsible fatherhood; Employment and Economic Opportunities; (3) Family law and domestic violence; (4) Hunger, Poverty, and Homelessness; (5) Health and well-being; and (6) Rehabilitation and reintegration.” Councilman Mel Franklin (D-District 9), who has made reducing fatherhood absence a priority issue for his office, issued the following statement:
“This legislation will put in place a permanent structure in our local government to address the unique issues of fatherhood absence and the vulnerable circumstances of countless young men and boys in our communities, which is critical to building stronger families in Prince George’s County. The Commission on Fathers, Men, and Boys will build on a national model for implementing community-based programs and policies to improve the socio-economic and cultural conditions for promoting responsible fatherhood and improve outcomes for our youth.”
Commissions or councils on fatherhood have been established in many jurisdictions around the country in recent years, including the District of Columbia, Ohio, Illinois, and Hawaii, many in conjunction with the work of the National Fatherhood Initiative, a national nonprofit fatherhood advocacy group. CB-9-2017 was also strongly supported by 100 Fathers Inc., led by its CEO Franklin Malone, a longtime fatherhood advocate in the Washington DC area. County Executive Baker’s administration supported the legislation in committee and he is expected to sign it. By County Charter, county boards and commissions are appointed by the County Executive, subject to approval by the County Council.
At Tuesday’s session, the Council also adopted CB-6-2017, which requires all public bodies of the County Government to post notice of their meetings on a central website for the benefit of the public and to promote open government. This requirement, also supported in committee by the County Executive, will go into effect on October 1, 2017.
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