Presidential Document2022-21790
Child Health Day, 2022
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 5, 2022
Signed
September 30, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60263-60264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21790]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2022 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 60263]]
Proclamation 10465 of September 30, 2022
Child Health Day, 2022
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Across America, parents are united by a common dream
that their children's lives will be healthier, happier,
and more promising than their own. On Child Health Day,
we rededicate ourselves to making that dream a reality
and recommit to providing every child with the quality
health care, child care, and education they need to
thrive.
Supporting our children means--first and foremost--
keeping them safe. The devastating truth is that guns
are currently the number one cause of death for
children in the United States. That is not acceptable,
and it is why I signed the first major bipartisan law
in nearly 30 years to keep firearms out of the hands of
people who are a danger to themselves and to others,
protecting innocent children from rampant gun
violence--especially in schools. This is just the
beginning; I will continue to push for an assault
weapon ban that will limit access to these dangerous
weapons on American streets and in our communities. No
child should have to live in fear.
At the same time, no parent should have to lie awake at
night wondering how they will pay for the treatment or
hospital care their child needs. Thanks to the American
Rescue Plan and other key initiatives of my
Administration, one million children have gained health
coverage since I came into office. My Inflation
Reduction Act will also lower health insurance premiums
for 13 million Americans. To give hardworking parents
more breathing room during the pandemic, I expanded the
child tax credit--a measure estimated to have helped
cut child poverty by over 40 percent last year. This
money was a life-changer for families who too often
must choose between a paycheck and taking care of
themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, in
September, I convened the first White House Conference
on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years, at
which we released a national strategy to create a
pathway to free, healthy school meals for all
children--beginning by expanding free school meals to 9
million more kids by 2032.
My Administration's efforts to tackle the national
mental health crisis, especially among our Nation's
youth, build on these important measures. Today,
suicide is the second leading cause of death among
young people between the ages of 10 and 24, and over
the past several years, mental health emergencies have
increased among youth of all ages. In response, my
Administration is making it easier for children across
America to access mental health specialists through
their pediatricians' offices. We are helping to address
the harms of social media use on youth mental health
and investing billions of dollars to expand access to
mental health services and professionals in schools. We
are also educating States on ways to leverage all
Federal resources, including Medicaid, to improve the
delivery of health care in schools. Already, we are
making progress. As of July, the number of school
social workers has risen 54 percent relative to the
years before the pandemic. In the same period, the
number of counselors is up 22 percent, and the number
of school nurses has also increased by 22 percent.
To protect our children from the COVID-19 pandemic, my
Administration rolled out vaccines for children 6
months and older, helping to ensure
[[Page 60264]]
that kids and infants can be safer in all public
spaces, including classrooms and daycares. We are
delivering affordable high-speed internet to every
American so students no longer have to sit in fast food
parking lots just to use the Wi-Fi to do their
homework. I secured funding to help replace every
single lead pipe in the Nation so no one has to second-
guess the quality of the water their child is drinking.
The Inflation Reduction Act will also replace thousands
of diesel school buses with electric buses, saving our
kids from inhaling dangerous fumes.
I know there is so much more work to do to build a
future worthy of the hopes and dreams of our children.
We must secure free, high-quality preschool for every
American child and lower health care costs even more
for American families. I continue calling for tax
breaks for middle-class parents and for new laws that
keep our children safe from violence at school and at
home. I will do everything in my power to tackle the
climate crisis and pass down a healthier planet to
future generations. To win the competition for the
future, we must continue building a healthier and safer
Nation for our children. Our families and our country
depend on it.
The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18,
1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the
designation of the first Monday in October as Child
Health Day and has requested that the President issue a
proclamation in observance of this day.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday,
October 3, 2022, as Child Health Day. I call upon
families, child health professionals, faith-based and
community organizations, and governments to help ensure
that America's children stay safe and healthy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2022-21790
Filed 10-4-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 5, 2022.
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