[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 46 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 46
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
January 3, 2001
Mrs. Biggert introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the
Committee on Energy and 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 2001''.
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(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7351(a)) 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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