House Concurrent Resolution 107

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING AND OBSERVING MARCH 2018 AS "JROTC LEADERSHIP IN ACADEMIC AND CAREER EDUCATION MONTH" AND ENCOURAGING THE CITIZENS OF MISSISSIPPI TO COMMEMORATE ITS OBSERVANCE DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH 2018.

WHEREAS, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) produces cadets trained in leadership, ethics, character and academia statewide as a tool and mechanism for promoting college and career readiness in the workforce development and talent retention equation in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of JROTC is to instill in students in secondary educational institutions in the United States the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment; and

WHEREAS, JROTC units in schools provide a wide variety of educational experiences for cadets that cover topics ranging from service-specific subjects to healthy lifestyles, financial management, government, history and natural sciences, and in Mississippi, JROTC can serve as a substitute for the physical education and health education graduation requirements; and

WHEREAS, the common theme in all units is the emphasis on leadership, development and citizenship, and other unit activities include competition in drill, orienteering, academics and athletics, STEM and workforce development camps and community service; and

WHEREAS, additionally, because of certain budget limitations, the National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) program provides qualifying schools the opportunity to conduct a course of instruction similar to JROTC, and the NDCC program is modeled after JROTC, with the principle exception being that the host school is responsible for the primary funding for the program, and the military services provide the JROTC curriculum materials to be used by the NDCC units; and

WHEREAS, currently, Mississippi boasts 81 JROTC units and four NDCC units, which means 52 Army JROTC units, 15 Air Force JROTC units, 11 Navy JROTC units and one NDCC unit, and three Marine Corps JROTC units and three NDCC units, and this equates to over 12,000 cadets involved in JROTC in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to acknowledge the necessity of the JROTC and NDCC programs and the positive influence they provide to the youth of Mississippi and firmly believe that it is fitting and proper to designate and observe the month of March 2018 as "JROTC Leadership in Academic and Career Education Month":

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby acknowledge and observe March 2018 as "JROTC Leadership in Academic and Career Education Month" and encourage the citizens of Mississippi to commemorate its observance during the month of March 2018.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the College Options Foundation, the Governor of Mississippi, the Secretary of State of Mississippi and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.