[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4072 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4072

   To authorize the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
            Prevention to conduct minority health programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 30, 2004

  Ms. Millender-McDonald (for herself and Mrs. Capito) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
            Prevention to conduct minority health programs.

    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 ``Healthy People, Healthy Choices Act 
of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) There is a critical need for the Congress to lead the 
        Federal Government in making sure that members of minority 
        populations are guaranteed access to adequate health care.
            (2) In the United States, an estimated 108 million or 61 
        percent of adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
            (3) High rates of obesity are associated with a greater 
        incidence of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and 
        various forms of cancers including breast, uterine, and colon 
        cancer among others.
            (4) A lack of access to culturally sensitive medical care 
        and guidelines for healthy eating and exercise habits 
        contributes to poor health outcomes for minority citizens.
            (5) Among members of ethnic minority populations, the rates 
        of obesity and disease are increased markedly.
            (6) According to the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor 
        Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, more than one third or 34.7 percent of African-
        American adults reported no leisure-time physical activity.
            (7) Among African-American women, 28.4 percent are 
        inactive, meaning they engage in less than 10 minutes per week 
        of moderate physical activity, as well as 20.8 percent of 
        African-American men.
            (8) Rates of physical activity are low for both African-
        American men and women, with 40.3 percent of men and 31.4 
        percent of women participating in a regular fitness routine.
            (9) Among Latino- or Hispanic-American adults, 39.8 percent 
        are not physically active, as compared to only 22.5 percent of 
        non-Latino white adults.

SEC. 3. MINORITY HEALTH PROGRAMS.

    (a) Public Outreach Campaigns.--The Director of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (in this Act referred to as the 
``Director'') shall conduct public outreach campaigns to increase the 
awareness of African Americans and other minority populations, 
particularly those who are disproportionately impacted by higher 
incidences of obesity and related diseases, about the following:
            (1) Nutrition and fitness generally.
            (2) Access to, and the affordability of, healthy foods and 
        dietary supplements.
            (3) The need for health promotion to African Americans and 
        other minority groups.
            (4) How to prepare inexpensive, healthy meals.
            (5) How to incorporate dietary supplements and physical 
        activity into daily life.
    (b) Grants to Promote Healthy Eating and Exercise.--
            (1) Grants.--The Director may make grants to not-for-profit 
        organizations servicing medically underserved populations for 
        the promotion of healthy eating and regular exercise habits 
        among minority communities.
            (2) Use of funds.--A grantee may use funds received under 
        this subsection to provide information about proper nutrition 
        and increased physical activity.
    (c) Grants for Training and Demonstration Projects.--
            (1) Sense of congress.--The Congress applauds the efforts 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to eliminate 
        racial and ethnic disparities in health through the Racial and 
        Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 program.
            (2) Grants.--For the purpose of eliminating racial and 
        ethnic disparities in health, the Director may make grants to 
        State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and 
        community organizations to conduct training events and 
        demonstration projects for children and their parents in 
        communities with a significant population of African-American, 
        Latino, Asian-Pacific-Islander, or other minority individuals.
            (3) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
        terms ``State educational agency'' and ``local educational 
        agency'' have the meanings given to those terms in section 9101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
    (d) Grants for Healthy Food Products.--The Director may make grants 
to community organizations to encourage manufacturers of healthy food 
products to make their products available at a discount in communities 
with significant minority populations to promote better health 
outcomes.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2010.
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