[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3928 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3928

To amend title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
   to raise awareness of eating disorders and to create educational 
         programs concerning the same, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 15, 2000

 Mrs. Biggert (for herself, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Ms. Rivers, Mrs. 
   Emerson, Mrs. Morella, Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. 
 Kilpatrick, Mrs. Thurman, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mrs. Johnson 
 of Connecticut, and Mrs. Kelly) introduced the following bill; which 
 was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
   to raise awareness of eating disorders and to create educational 
         programs concerning the same, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Eating Disorders Awareness, 
Prevention, and Education Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) An estimated 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 women and girls 
        and 1,000,000 men and boys suffer from eating disorders, 
        including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating 
        disorder, as well as eating disorders that are not otherwise 
        defined.
            (2) 42 percent of 1st through 3d grade girls want to be 
        thinner and that 81 percent of 10-year-old children are afraid 
        of being fat.
            (3) 35 percent of dieters progress to pathological dieting 
        and that 20 to 25 percent of these individuals progress to 
        partial or full syndrome eating disorders.
            (4) Eating disorders can lead to death. According to the 
        National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 10 people with 
        anorexia nervosa will die of starvation, cardiac arrest, or 
        other medical complications.
            (5) Eating disorders can have a negative impact on the 
        educational advancement of a student, a situation often 
        overlooked and rarely addressed in our Nation's schools.
            (6) Educational efforts to prevent eating disorders are of 
        primary importance to the health, well being and academic 
        success of our Nation's students.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To provide States, local school districts, and parents 
        with the means and flexibility to improve awareness of, 
        identify, and help students with eating disorders.
            (2) To help ensure that such individuals receive a quality 
        education and secure their chance for a bright future.

SEC. 4. INNOVATIVE ASSISTANCE FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF, TRAINING ON, 
              AND EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS OF EATING DISORDERS.

    Section 6301 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7351) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and; and
            (3) by adding after paragraph (9) the following:
            ``(10) programs to improve the identification of students 
        with eating disorders, increase awareness of such disorders 
        among parents and students, and train educators (such as 
        teachers, school nurses, school social workers, coaches, school 
        counselors, and administrators) on effective eating disorder 
        prevention and assistance methods.''.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

    The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, shall 
carry out a program to develop, distribute, and promote the 
broadcasting of public service announcements to improve public 
awareness, and to promote the identification and prevention, of eating 
disorders.

SEC. 6. EATING DISORDER RESEARCH AND REPORT.

    Not later than 18 months after the enactment of this Act, the 
National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for 
Health Statistics shall conduct a study on the impact eating disorders 
have on educational advancement and achievement. The study shall--
            (1) evaluate the extent to which students with eating 
        disorders are more likely to miss school, have delayed rates of 
        development, or have reduced cognitive skills;
            (2) report on current State and local programs to educate 
        youth about the dangers of eating disorders, as well as 
        evaluate the value of such programs; and
            (3) make recommendations on measures that could be 
        undertaken by Congress, the Department of Education, States, 
        and local educational agencies to strengthen eating disorder 
        prevention and awareness programs.
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