The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FITNESS INTEGRATED WITH TEACHING KIDS ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2758-H2762 on April 21, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FITNESS INTEGRATED WITH TEACHING KIDS ACT
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1585) to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve standards for physical education, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1585
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act'' or the ``FIT Kids Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.
(2) Researchers estimate that medical costs of the obesity epidemic may total as much as $147,000,000,000 annually.
(3) The prevalence of overweight in children between the ages of 6 and 11 years increased from 4.0 percent between 1971 to 1974 to 17.5 percent between 2001to 2004, and the prevalence of overweight in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 years increased from 6.1 percent to 17.0 percent.
(4) Recent studies indicating that 17 percent of 6 to 11 year-olds and 17.6 percent of 12 to 19 year-olds are considered obese. Furthermore, 33 percent of 6 to11 year olds and 34 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are overweight; these rates have roughly doubled since 1980.
(5) Of all United States deaths from major chronic disease, 23 percent are linked to sedentary lifestyles that now begin at childhood.
(6) Overweight adolescents have a 70 to 80 percent chance of becoming overweight adults, increasing their risk for chronic disease, disability, and death.
(7) A decline in physical activity has contributed to the unprecedented epidemic of childhood obesity.
(8) The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the Secretary of Health and Human Services recommend that children engage in 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day.
(9) In a 2005 Government Accountability Office report on key strategies to include in programs designed to target childhood obesity, ``increasing physical activity'' was identified as the most important component in any such program.
(10) Part of the decline in physical activity has been in our Nation's schools, where physical education programs have been cut back in the past 2 decades.
(11) The national standard for physical education frequency, as outlined in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, is 150 minutes per week in elementary school and 225 minutes per week in middle school and high school.
(12) Only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 percent of middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year, and 22 percent of schools do not require students to take any physical education at all.
(13) Among children ages 9 to 13, 61.5 percent do not participate in any organized physical activity during out-of-school hours.
(14) Regular physical activity is associated with a healthier, longer life and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers.
(15) Research suggests a strong correlation between children's fitness and their academic performance as measured by grades in core subjects and standardized test scores.
(16) Approximately 81 percent of adults believe daily physical education should be mandatory in schools.
SEC. 3. INCREASING AWARENESS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
OPPORTUNITIES AT SCHOOL.
(a) Local Educational Agencies.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, each local educational agency located in a State receiving funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) shall--
(1) post on its Internet website, or otherwise make available to parents and families of students served by the agency, information on healthful eating habits, physical education, and physical activity, including information on--
(A) the importance of a healthy lifestyle (including healthful eating habits, physical education, and physical activity) for an effective learning environment;
(B) how schools served by the agency are promoting healthy lifestyles, including information on applicable elementary school and secondary school programs and policies regarding nutrition, physical education, and physical activity
(including coordinated school health plans or local wellness policies, as applicable);
(C) whether the schools served by the agency follow an age-appropriate physical education curriculum for all elementary school and secondary school students enrolled in the schools that adheres to national guidelines adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services or the State in which the school is located;
(D) the most recent national recommendations for physical education and physical activity for elementary school and secondary school students, as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services; and
(E) a description of the amount of time that students in kindergarten through grade 12 served by the agency are required to spend in physical education, disaggregated by grade level, including information on criteria for granting students a waiver or exemption, or allowing a substitution for the requirement; and
(2) assist each school served by the agency in collecting and disseminating (such as through the Internet website of the school) to parents and families of students enrolled in the school, information on--
(A) whether the school follows an age-appropriate physical education curriculum for all students enrolled in the school that adheres to national guidelines adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Health and Human Services or the State in which the school is located;
(B) the most recent national recommendations for physical education and physical activity for elementary school and secondary school students, as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services;
(C) the requirements described in paragraph (1)(E);
(D) a description of the facilities available for physical education and physical activity for students enrolled in the school; and
(E) if applicable, any health and wellness council (such as a school health council or local wellness policy council) located in the school or that the school is involved with, including information on--
(i) members;
(ii) membership criteria;
(iii) opportunities for parental involvement; and
(iv) meeting dates and agendas.
(b) State Educational Agencies.--
(1) Submission; information availability.--Not later than 15 days after a local educational agency described in subsection (a) posts on its Internet website the information described in subsection (a)(1)(E), and annually thereafter, the local educational agency shall provide to the applicable State educational agency the information described in such subsection.
(2) Additional duties of the state educational agency.--A State educational agency that receives information under paragraph (1) shall ensure that the information is made available to the general public within a reasonable period of time, such as through the Internet website of the State educational agency.
SEC. 4. STUDIES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FITNESS.
(a) National Research Council Study.--Subject to the availability of funds appropriated to carry out this subsection, the Secretary of Education shall enter into a contract with the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to--
(1) examine and make recommendations regarding--
(A) various means that may be employed to incorporate physical activity into elementary school and secondary school settings, and before- and after-school programs;
(B) innovative and effective ways to increase physical activity for all students in kindergarten through grade 12; and
(C) efforts to encourage the participation of students with disabilities in physical education programs and the types of accommodations used to increase the participation of such students;
(2) study the impact of health, level of physical activity, and amount of physical education on students' ability to learn and maximize performance in school; and
(3) study and provide specific recommendations for effectively measuring the progress students, at the elementary school and secondary school level, in increasing physical activity and improving their health and well-being, including improving their--
(A) knowledge, awareness, and behavior, related to nutrition and physical activity;
(B) cognitive development, and fitness, with physical education;
(C) knowledge of lifetime physical activity and health promotion; and
(D) performance on overall health indicators, including flexibility, endurance, strength, balance, and blood pressure.
(b) National Fitness Study.--Subject to the availability of funds to carry out this subsection, the Secretary of Education shall conduct a study on the participation of students in physical education and other physical activities in public elementary schools and public secondary schools that--
(1) examines student participation in exercise (including sports and active games), including the types, frequency, duration, and seasonality of exercise participation, through--
(A) school physical education classes;
(B) other school programs; and
(C) intramural activities; and
(2) assesses student physical activity and fitness levels.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2011.
SEC. 5. DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall identify and make available to State educational agencies and local educational agencies, best practices on innovative physical education and physical activity policies and programs at the State and local level, including best practices that--
(1) identify and address common challenges to States and local educational agencies in implementing physical education and physical activity policies and programs, including barriers for meeting national recommendations for physical education and physical activity in schools, as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services; and
(2) meet or are working toward meeting the national recommendations for physical education and physical activity in schools, as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services.
(b) Updating Best Practices.--The Secretary shall update the best practices described in subsection (a) after completion of the study carried out under section 4(a).
SEC. 6. PROMOTING THE HEALTHIERUS SCHOOL CHALLENGE.
The Secretary of Education, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall encourage schools to participate in the HealthierUS School Challenge of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
Except as otherwise provided, any term used in this Act that is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) shall have the meaning given the term in such section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) and the gentlewoman from Illinois
(Mrs. Biggert) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands.
General Leave
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 1585 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands?
There was no objection.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1585, which brings much-
needed attention to the role of physical attention and activity in our Nation's schools and the importance of healthy living and active lifestyles.
This legislation comes at a critical time. Obesity among our Nation's children has not only reached epidemic proportions, it has become a public health crisis. The danger of childhood obesity is far greater than any other health-related emergency we have seen in the past decade. The percentage of children that are overweight in America has tripled over the last 30 years. Nearly 25 million children and teens are considered overweight or obese, a number that keeps on rising.
The First Lady has recognized the need to address this epidemic and has created the ``Let's Move'' initiative. Her initiative has four key pillars to achieve the goal of ending childhood obesity: Getting parents more involved and informed about nutrition and exercise; making healthy foods more accessible and affordable; increasing attention to physical activity; and lastly, improving the quality of food in the school meal programs.
This legislation touches on many of those goals, making available important information to parents and communities regarding the type of physical education being provided to students, encouraging increased physical education and activity and promoting the Healthier U.S. School Challenge, which recognizes schools that are creating healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. The legislation will also make available best practices for innovative and successful physical education programs and policies at the State and local level.
Finally, the bill calls for a National Research Council study to figure out the best way to incorporate physical activity into the school day and study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive development and academic achievement. This study will build on recent research that has shown that children's health has a statistically significant impact on their academic achievement and a decline in physical education may contribute to a decline in school performance.
I am glad to join the First Lady in encouraging awareness of the importance of physical education in our schools. By investing in our children and their future, we will be investing in our country's future health and prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Kind and Representative Wamp for bringing this bill forward and urge my colleagues to support it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may consume to a sponsor of this bill, Mr. Wamp of Tennessee.
Mr. WAMP. I thank the gentlewoman and the chairman for the time, and I will commend Representative Kind, Representative Inslee, and many others for bringing this legislation to the floor.
But this is just a start of what we need to do in this country. Mr. Speaker, we have 13-year-olds all over this country on high blood-
pressure medication. We have a type 2 diabetes and chronic obesity problem in America.
We do have a lot of Federal involvement in education. Now we can debate how much of that we should have and, frankly, as someone who seeks to be the 49th Governor of Tennessee, I don't want any more. I want local control and State control, but we do have, through the Primary and Secondary Education Act and now No Child Left Behind, a lot of Federal involvement.
What we really wanted was in the multiple measures category, physical education to be counted as other requirements are, because Thomas Jefferson said 200 years ago a child who is not physically well struggles with learning.
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We now know that is true and more true today than it was then because of these afflictions, because of poor nutrition. We know in my home State, with research from Dr. Mark Houston, that healthy doses of fresh fruits and vegetables can lower the cancer rate in your State by 40 percent. Nutrition is incredibly important.
Physical activity is how children perform better. All the research shows if a child gets a good healthy dose of cardiovascular exercise, their brain functions much better, they test much better, they sleep better, their quality of life increases. Children who are physically well do much better. We have got to recognize that.
Now, No Child Left Behind has squeezed out a couple of things from public education: one is PE, the other is arts education. That is really unfortunate because arts education is a left brain thing that broadens a child's dimension of education and learning, and physical activity is essential to a child learning and growing and becoming productive, let alone the consequences of type 2 diabetes and obesity and hypertension among young people, which can be a life sentence. So this is a matter of life or death.
So if we are going to have Federal involvement in education decisions, we better have PE as part of the mix. We better have the best research for the States, which is what this bill gets to, on how to incorporate physical education into the curriculum and the daily regimen of children in school.
Now, moms and dads need to know this early, but every fourth grader in America needs to know this is not about how big God made you. Some of us have big bones, small bones, wide, thin, tall, short, dark, light; this is about knowing that there is a dial in your life that must be adjusted if you want to live a high quality of life and you want to be physically well. The dial means you've got to get a certain amount of exercise.
PE has been squeezed out of our schools; it needs to be welcomed back in with open arms. We need healthier children. This is a chronic problem. We tried to get President Bush to make this a centerpiece issue. We weren't able, even though he was very physically active and a great model for the country. We need to do all that we can. This is a minor first step.
We took out all the mandates of this bill so that people couldn't complain about that, but let us at least come together and say accurate information, helping schools and States better understand what works, what doesn't work, what is the most effective way to incorporate physical education in education. Mind, body, and spirit is a holistic way to live a high quality of life. Out of this body we know this; we have the information. Share it with parents, teachers, directors of schools and, most importantly, the next generation. We will be a better country for it.
I urge passage of this bill and I thank the authors.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) for 1 minute.
Mr. INSLEE. I commend this bill. This is a bipartisan bill to attempt to prevent a bipartisan epidemic of diabetes from swallowing the next generation. And as Mr. Wamp, who has done a great job, and Mr. Kind, who has done a great job on this bill, know, we have had No Child Left Behind. And as a PE teacher who helped develop this bill said, now we need a ``leave no child on their behind'' bill. This will help our parents work with their children to make sure that that is the case.
I am particularly appreciative of what a little physical activity can do for students in their academic pursuits. We are not talking about necessarily growing Olympic champions here. We're trying to get kids who are active to help their academic performance. My dad is an old PE teacher. I have seen up front and personal the benefit of getting kids active. And this is a very reasonable means to make sure parents have information of how active their children are because we intend, in a bipartisan way, to stop a bipartisan diabetes epidemic. This is a great bill; let's pass it.
Mrs. BIGGERT. At this time, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Two hundred years ago, James Madison, on the House floor, gave the following speech, and he said: ``If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare and are the soul and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish, they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Nation.''
What Madison said sarcastically 200 years ago is actually before us in bill form today. Madison concluded by saying: ``Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the foundations and transmute the very nature of limited government established by the people of America.''
Now, are the sponsors of this bill sincere? Yes. Are the goals of this program good? Yes. Would this program be beneficial for kids? Yes. Should the Federal Government take the initiative to introduce it? No. If we view the different responsibility levels of government, someone has to stand up and say, stop, we are not a school board.
There is also a practical reality of this legislation. The most common response to top-down mandates of teachers who have to implement it is, this too shall pass, which simply means the potential grants in the future may be good, but a buy-in has to come at a local level, which means the advocates of this program should be taking their initiative to every local district where they can get that buy-in from those who have to implement it. It will take a lot more time and work, but it is much more effective in the long run because the reporting requirements that will be mandated on every district in this Nation by this bill will produce more resentment than reform.
This bill is well-intentioned, it has all sorts of good motives; but because of that, it is too important to allow it to remain at the Federal level. It must be done in the districts where it will actually have some impact.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) for 4 minutes.
(Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. KIND. I thank my friend for yielding me time.
In response to my good friend from Utah, I know his belief is sincere, but just to be clear with this legislation before us, we are not mandating that schools and school districts have to offer physical education, merely informing parents and the community what physical activity and what physical education courses are being provided today. And we are very careful in that.
But there is a very simple concept behind the FIT Kids legislation before us today, and that is this: studies have shown that it is hard to develop a healthy mind without a healthy body. And as my good friend from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp) has been fond of saying, one of the best antidepressants ever invented in the entire world is just good old-
fashioned sweat. That is what we are up against with the childhood obesity epidemic that is ravaging our country and our youth today, the onset of early childhood type 2 juvenile diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
Close to 75 percent of kids today are on the verge of being overweight. We know that 80 percent of them will be overweight in adult life if something isn't done to preempt that at a much sooner level. That is what's behind the movement towards the FIT Kids legislation. It is an attempt to try to emphasize physical activity and physical education courses back in our schools today.
Why is this important? Again, part of the reason, as Mr. Wamp pointed out, is that with the advent of No Child Left Behind, various courses that were offered in the past are being squeezed. Arts is being dropped, and physical education, especially, is one of those courses that is viewed more and more as a discretionary item rather than something that is necessary to enhance our own child's performance in the classroom. We know that when kids are more physically active, they tend to perform better in schools, test scores go up, there is less disciplinary programs, graduation rates go up, and their overall health improves--all worthy goals that we need to be encouraging and supporting more of throughout the Nation.
But today, only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools, 2 percent of high schools even provide daily physical education in their schools. Twenty-two percent of schools don't require students to take physical education at all, and that number is growing. Sixty-two percent of children don't receive any physical activity outside of school hours, and schools are providing less and fewer physical activity opportunities.
What FIT Kids will do is work to ensure that kids are active during the school day and are taught from an early age the benefits of living an active and healthy lifestyle. The bill will have schools make information available to parents and communities about the type of physical education being provided to students for each grade in relation to the recommended amounts established by the CDC, as well as information on the importance of living healthy and active lifestyles.
It will enact a National Resources Council study through the National Academy of Sciences to figure out the best way to incorporate physical activity in the school day and study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive development and academic achievement where there is a dearth of research being provided today. And it will make available best practices for innovative and successful physical education programs and policies at the State and local levels so schools and school districts are not being asked to recreate the wheel trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. There are many model programs that already exist that we can help share through the modeling of best practices and get that information out to empower more schools and therefore more families.
Ultimately, and I would agree with my friend from Utah, it really does come down to personal responsibility, for us to take more personal control over our own healthy lifestyle decisions. We all know what we all need to be doing a better job of--eating healthier, exercising more, not smoking, and especially for us parents, to work much closer and earlier with our children at the earliest possible age to help them develop the good lifestyle decisions that will continue throughout their life. And that will mean, from time to time, unplugging them from the technology that so many of our kids are addicted to. I have two little boys at home myself.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 1 additional minute.
Mr. KIND. I know the power that technology holds over our kids today from XBoxes and TiVos and cell phones and BlackBerrys and all, but it is also leading to a more sedentary lifestyle, increasing the childhood obesity epidemic. It is up to us parents working in the home, providing a good model of care and working with our kids to establish these good practices.
Again, I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Wamp and Mr. Inslee, for being original sponsors of the legislation, the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), who is also a cosponsor of this bill. I want to thank Chairman Miller and the members of the Education and Labor Committee for the hearings and the attention brought to it. I also want to thank the over 50 organizations that have endorsed this legislation, such as the American Heart Association, the NFL Players Association with their Play 60 campaign, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education, the American Diabetes Association, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; the first lady, Michele Obama, along with the President, that has elevated the cause of children's health to new levels and new attention in this country; my own staff person, Shannon Glynn, who has worked tirelessly on this bill; and not least, Richard Simmons, who has been a tireless advocate promoting FIT Kids throughout the Nation, testifying here in Congress, appearing before press conferences, on Jay Leno, on David Letterman, and visiting hundreds and hundreds of schools every year for his life mission of promoting healthy living habits for not just adults, but especially the children in our lives. I thank Richard Simmons for his leadership and his tireless advocacy on FIT Kids.
I ask my colleagues to support it. It's the right thing to do, it's the right step, more needs to be done. This is a good place to start.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1585, the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act, or the FIT Kids Act. I want to thank my good friends, Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin and Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee, for sponsoring this piece of legislation and for their tireless work to reduce childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity is an issue that has now reached epidemic proportions in the United States. In 2008, 17 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 were obese and approximately 70 to 80 percent of overweight or obese children remain obese in adulthood. Unfortunately, these obese children are more likely to develop diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
As we all know, both diet and exercise are important to the maintenance of a healthy weight. Unfortunately, most of today's children live sedentary lifestyles; in fact, less than one-third of high school students currently meet recommended levels of physical activity. The FIT Kids Act requires States and localities to provide information to parents and families on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including eating habits, physical education, and physical activity. It does not require physical education in schools.
School districts would also collect information on how schools are promoting good nutrition and physical activity, whether the school has an age-appropriate physical education curriculum, the amount of time that students spend in physical education, a description of the facilities available for PE, and information on any local health and wellness councils. And, finally, the bill would authorize the National Research Council and the Department of Education to conduct two important studies on physical activity.
As a cosponsor of H.R. 1585, I believe that physical education will play an important role in attacking the childhood obesity crisis that is negatively impacting our young people. And we will also learn, as we are learning more about the brain, how PE in school really helps to develop that brain.
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When I was in the Illinois General Assembly, I worked really hard to ensure that the schools in the State of Illinois had access to daily physical education. I am proud to say that Illinois still has a mandatory PE requirement for all elementary and secondary students in school, and it really is the only State that has mandatory PE.
I have also had the privilege of working with the local Naperville, Illinois, chapter of the nonprofit organization PE4life, whose mission it is to inspire active, healthy living by advancing the development of daily health- and wellness-based physical education programs for all children, not just for those who are athletically inclined.
Now, I went over there, and I rode a bicycle, racing against these kids--the kind of bicycles where you see this road before you, and you've got to stay on it, and these kids are whipping along, and I'm falling off the edge of the road; but this is the kind of thing that's fun for kids to do in order to learn a healthy lifestyle.
The other thing that something like PE4life does is it tracks their fitness from the time they get on those bicycles in September to the time they get off a lot of these machines in order to see how they have become personally more fit, and it inspires them to care about their nutrition and everything. So it is my hope that other States will follow Illinois' lead by making physical education a priority in all of their schools.
So, once again, I want to highlight the excellent work of Congressman Kind and Congressman Wamp on this important piece of legislation, and I hope that we will begin the work of dramatically reducing childhood obesity.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1585, the FIT Kids Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, again, I am very happy to join the First Lady in encouraging awareness of the importance of physical education in our schools. I ask all of our colleagues to join us in supporting H.R. 1585, as amended.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1585, the
``Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act.'' This legislation will help combat the obesity epidemic facing our youth by promoting physical education for students by providing grants to schools, requiring State and local officials to report the progress on these initiatives, and improving teacher training.
Let me be frank, we are facing a childhood obesity epidemic in our country. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control found that obesity rate for children ages 12 to 19 is 17.6 percent and we can not allow this to continue. Today's legislation is a first step in correcting this disturbing trend by acknowledging that the whole community must actively participate in promoting healthy lifestyles for children. First, it requires all schools, districts and States to report on quantity and quality of physical education. In addition, grants are provided to support school counseling and community learning centers in order to boost children's nutritional and physical education. It also revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education.
Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, this Congress passed historic health care reform legislation. The new law will change the lives of millions of Americans who could not get access to health care. While I believe this was a necessary law, we must also provide our children with the resources to live long and healthy lives. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. SABLAN. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1585, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to increase awareness of physical activity opportunities at school, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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