SRES-185-119
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2643; text: CR S2669)
Sponsored by Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
What it does
This resolution designates the week of April 21 through April 25, 2025, as "National Home Visiting Week." It expresses the Senate's support for that designation and for the goals of home visiting programs, which send trained workers to families to support child development and parenting. The resolution does not create, fund, or modify any program, and carries no legal or binding effect.
Who benefits
Home visiting program advocates and professional organizations gain a platform for public awareness. The more than 20,000 home visitors and supervisors nationwide receive symbolic recognition of their work. Families currently enrolled in home visiting programs — over 280,000 in 2023 — may benefit indirectly if increased awareness leads to greater program participation or future funding support.
Who is hurt
No group is directly or materially harmed by this resolution. There is no regulatory burden, spending change, or legal obligation created.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that home visiting programs have a demonstrated evidence base — in fiscal year 2023, the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program served over 139,000 parents and children across all 50 states, D.C., five territories, and 21 Indigenous communities. They contend that formal recognition raises public awareness of a cost-effective early childhood intervention that reduces child abuse and neglect and promotes healthy development during the brain's most critical growth period.
Opponents argue
Opponents might argue that symbolic resolutions consume limited legislative floor time without producing measurable policy outcomes, and that if Congress genuinely values home visiting programs, it should focus on substantive action such as expanding funding or program access rather than issuing non-binding proclamations. They could contend that designating awareness weeks risks substituting symbolic gestures for the concrete legislative work needed to address gaps in program reach — the bill's own data notes services reached only 51% of U.S. counties in 2023.