109 HR 5938 IH: To reduce childhood obesity, and for other
U.S. House of Representatives
2006-07-27
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the Stop
Obesity in Schools Act of 2006
.
2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)It is estimated
that 64.5 percent (119,000,000) of American adults and 15 percent (9,000,000)
of American children are overweight or obese.
(2)The prevalence of
obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years,
going from 7 percent in 1980 to 18.8 percent in 2004. The rate among
adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5 percent to 17.1
percent.
(3)An estimated 61
percent of overweight young people have at least 1 additional risk factor for
heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In addition,
children who are overweight are at greater risk for bone and joint problems,
sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and
poor self-esteem.
(4)According to the
Department of Health and Human Services, obesity-related illnesses cost this
nation approximately $117,000,000,000 per year in increased health care costs.
This includes $61,000,000,000 in direct medical costs for treatment of related
diseases and $56,000,000,000 in indirect costs such as lost
productivity.
(5)A
report released by Trust for America’s Health, entitled F as in Fat: How
Obesity Policies are Failing in America
, found that the United States
does not have an aggressive, coordinated national strategy needed to address
this crisis.
3.National Strategy
to Reduce Childhood ObesityThe Secretary of Health and Human Services,
in cooperation with State and local governments, Federal agencies, local
educational agencies, health care providers, the research community, and the
private sector, shall develop a national strategy to reduce childhood obesity
in the United States. Such strategy shall—
(1)provide for the reduction of childhood
obesity rates by 10 percent by the year 2010;
(2)address both short- and long-term solutions
to reducing the rates of childhood obesity in the United States;
(3)identify how the Federal Government can
work effectively with State and local governments, local educational agencies,
health care providers, the research community, the private sector, and other
entities as necessary to implement the strategy; and
(4)include measures to identify and overcome
all obstacles to achieving the goal of reducing childhood obesity in the United
States.
4.Grants to local
educational agencies to adopt wellness policies and anti-obesity
initiatives
(a)The Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention shall make grants to local educational agencies to
reduce childhood obesity by adopting wellness policies and anti-obesity
initiatives.
(b)As a condition on the
receipt of a grant under this section, a local educational agency shall agree
to use the grant to reduce childhood obesity by adopting wellness policies and
anti-obesity initiatives, which may include one or more of the
following:
(1)Strategies to improve the nutritional value
of food served on school campuses.
(2)Innovative ways to incorporate nutrition
education into the curriculum from prekindergarten through grade 12.
(3)Increased physical activity in
during-and-after-school activities.
(4)Any other measure that, in the
determination of the Director, may provide a significant improvement in the
health and wellness of children.
(c)As a condition on the
receipt of a grant under this section, a local educational agency shall agree
to pay, from funds derived from non-Federal sources, not less than 25 percent
of the costs of the activities carried out with the grant.
(d)To
seek a grant under this section, a local educational agency shall submit an
application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Director may require.
(e)Annual
accountability reportAs a
condition on the receipt of a grant under this section, a local educational
agency shall agree to submit an annual accountability report to the Director.
Each such report shall include a description of the degree to which the agency,
in using grant funds, has made progress in reducing childhood obesity.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsTo carry out this section, there is authorized to
be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010.
5.Evaluation of
programs for the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents
(a)For the purpose
described in subsection (b), the Director shall (directly or through grants or
contracts awarded to public or nonprofit private entities) arrange for the
evaluation of a wide variety of existing programs designed in whole or in part
to prevent obesity in children and adolescents, including programs that do not
receive grants from the Federal Government for operation.
(b)The
purpose of the evaluation under this section shall be to determine the
following:
(1)The effectiveness
of programs in reducing obesity in children and adolescents.
(2)The factors
contributing to the effectiveness of the programs.
(3)The feasibility of
replicating the programs in other locations.
(c)Not
later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director
shall submit a report to the Congress on the results of the evaluation under
this section.
(d)Authorization of
appropriationsTo carry out this section, there is authorized to
be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010.
6.Healthy living and
wellness coordinating councils
(a)The Director shall make grants on a
competitive basis to State governments, local governments, and consortia of
local governments to reduce childhood obesity through—
(1)establishing or
expanding healthy living and wellness coordinating councils; and
(2)supporting
regional workshops.
(b)As a condition on the
receipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall agree to use the grant
to carry out one or more of the following:
(1)Establishing a healthy living and wellness
coordinating council.
(2)Expanding the activities of a healthy
living and wellness coordinating council, including by implementing State-based
or region-wide activities that will reduce the rates of childhood
obesity.
(3)Supporting
regional workshops designed to permit educators, administrators, health care
providers, and other relevant parties to share successful research-based
strategies for increasing healthy living and reducing obesity in elementary and
secondary schools.
(c)In this section,
the term healthy living and wellness coordinating council means an
organization that—
(1)is charged by a
State government, a local government, or a consortium of local governments, as
applicable, to increase healthy living and reduce obesity in elementary and
secondary schools; and
(2)is composed of
educators, administrators, health care providers, and other relevant
parties.
(d)As a condition on the
receipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall agree to pay, from funds
derived from non-Federal sources, not less than 25 percent of the costs of the
activities carried out with the grant.
(e)Annual
accountability reportAs a
condition on the receipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall agree
to submit an annual accountability report to the Director. Each such report
shall include a description of the degree to which the entity, in using grant
funds, has made progress in increasing healthy living and reducing obesity in
elementary and secondary schools.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsTo carry out this section, there is authorized to
be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010.
7.In this Act:
(1)The term
Director means the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
(2)The term
local educational agency has the meaning given to that term in
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).