Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 101 Part 1.djvu/411

 PUBLIC LAW 100-64—JULY 6, 1987 Public Law 100-64 100th Congress

101 STAT. 381 xr

Joint Resolution ^^^to'A

„ Designating July 2, 1987, as ' National Literacy Day.

Whereas literacy is a necessary tool for survival in our society; Whereas 35,000,000 Americans today read at a level which is less than necessary for full survival needs; Whereas there are 27,000,000 adults in the United States who cannot read, whose resources are left untapped, and who are unable to offer their full contribution to society; Whereas illiteracy is growing rapidly, as 2,300,000 persons, including 1,200,000 legal and illegal immigrants, 1,000,000 high school dropouts, and 100,000 refugees, are added to the pool of illiterates annually; Whereas the annual cost of illiteracy to the United States in terms of welfare expenditures, crime, prison expenses, lost revenues, and industrial and military accidents has been estimated at $225,000,000,000; Whereas the competitiveness of the United States is eroded by the presence in the workplace of millions of Americans who are functionally or technologically illiterate; Whereas there is a direct correlation between the number of illiterate adults unable to perform at the standard necessary for available employment and the money allocated to child welfare and unemployment compensation; Whereas the percentage of illiterates in proportion to population size is higher for blacks and Hispanics, resulting in increased economic and social discrimination against these minorities; Whereas the prison population represents the single highest concentration of adult illiteracy; Whereas 1,000,000 children in the United States between the ages of 12 and 17 cannot read above a 3rd grade level, 13 percent of all 17-year-olds are functionally illiterate, and 15 percent of graduates of urban high schools read at less than a 6th grade level; Whereas 85 percent of the juveniles who appear in criminal court are functionally illiterate; Whereas the 47 percent illiteracy rate among black youths is expected to increase to 50 percent by 1990; Whereas one-half of all heads of households cannot read past the 8th grade level and one-third of all mothers on welfare are functionally illiterate; Whereas the cycle of illiteracy continues because the children of illiterate parents are often illiterate themselves because of the lack of support they receive from their home environment; Whereas Federal, State, municipal, and private literacy programs have only been able to reach 5 percent of the total illiterate population; Whereas it is vital to call attention to the problem of illiteracy, to understand the severity of the problem and its detrimental effects

July 6, 1987 [S.J. — 117] Res.

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