[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7179 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7179

     To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide coordinated 
  leadership in Federal efforts to prevent and reduce obesity and to 
   promote sound health and nutrition among Americans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 2008

 Mr. Towns (for himself and Mr. Shays) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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 the Public Health Service Act to provide coordinated 
  leadership in Federal efforts to prevent and reduce obesity and to 
   promote sound health and nutrition among Americans, 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 ``National Obesity Prevention Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL TASK FORCE ON OBESITY; ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON OBESITY.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 399S. OBESITY INITIATIVES.

    ``(a) Office of the National Coordinator of Obesity Initiatives.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--There is established within the 
        office of the Secretary the Office of the National Coordinator 
        of Obesity Initiatives, to be headed by the National 
        Coordinator of Obesity Initiatives. The National Coordinator 
        shall be appointed by the Secretary and shall report directly 
        to the Secretary.
            ``(2) Duties.--The duties of the National Coordinator of 
        Obesity Initiatives shall include implementing and coordinating 
        a national strategy to eliminate the occurrence of obesity in 
        the United States.
    ``(b) Federal Task Force on Obesity.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall convene a Task 
        Force on Obesity (referred to in this section as the `Task 
        Force') to--
                    ``(A) establish a governmentwide strategy for 
                preventing and reducing the rate of occurrence of 
                obesity that includes defining clear roles, 
                responsibilities, and accountability for all agencies 
                of the Federal Government and determining what 
                resources are necessary for preventing and reducing 
                such rate of occurrence;
                    ``(B) coordinate effective interagency actions and 
                priorities for action among Federal agencies, including 
                short-term and long-term goals for childhood and adult 
                obesity rates; and
                    ``(C) implement and evaluate the effectiveness of 
                such strategy.
            ``(2) Membership.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Task Force shall be composed 
                of--
                            ``(i) the Secretary (or his or her 
                        designee) of--
                                    ``(I) the Department of Health and 
                                Human Services;
                                    ``(II) the Department of 
                                Agriculture;
                                    ``(III) the Department of 
                                Education;
                                    ``(IV) the Federal Trade 
                                Commission;
                                    ``(V) the Department of 
                                Transportation;
                                    ``(VI) the Department of Defense;
                                    ``(VII) the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs;
                                    ``(VIII) the Department of 
                                Interior;
                                    ``(IX) the Department of Labor;
                                    ``(X) the Department of Housing and 
                                Urban Development; and
                                    ``(XI) any other Federal agency 
                                that the chairperson determines 
                                appropriate;
                            ``(ii) the Chairman (or his or her 
                        designee) of the Federal Communications 
                        Commission; and
                            ``(iii) the National Coordinator of Obesity 
                        Initiatives.
                    ``(B) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Task 
                Force shall be the National Coordinator of Obesity 
                Initiatives.
            ``(3) Meetings.--The Task Force shall meet at the call of 
        the chairperson.
            ``(4) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2010, and on an 
        annual basis thereafter through January 1, 2015, the Task Force 
        shall submit to the President and to the relevant committees of 
        Congress, a report that--
                    ``(A) describes the activities and efforts to 
                prevent and reduce the rate of occurrence of obesity 
                conducted by the Task Force during the year to which 
                the report relates; and
                    ``(B) evaluates the effectiveness of such 
                activities and efforts to prevent and reduce the rate 
                of occurrence of obesity.
    ``(c) Advisory Committee on Obesity.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary may establish an 
        advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on 
        Obesity to provide recommendations to the Task Force for 
        purposes of establishing the governmentwide strategy under 
        subsection (a)(1).
            ``(2) Membership.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case the Secretary 
                established the Advisory Committee on Obesity, such 
                committee shall be composed of 7 members, to be 
                appointed by the Secretary, of whom there shall be one 
                representative from each of the following communities:
                            ``(i) State and local governments.
                            ``(ii) Schools.
                            ``(iii) Community and religious groups.
                            ``(iv) The business community, including 
                        the food and beverage industry and farmers.
                            ``(v) Insurance companies.
                            ``(vi) Researchers and scientists.
                    ``(B) Terms.--The members of the Advisory Committee 
                shall serve for such term as the Secretary may specify.
                    ``(C) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Advisory 
                Committee shall be the National Coordinator of Obesity 
                Initiatives.
            ``(3) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall meet once per 
        year and at such other times as the Advisory Committee may 
        provide.
            ``(4) Advisory panels.--Each member of the Advisory 
        Committee may consult with an advisory panel composed of 
        persons from the community of such member, with respect to 
        recommendations for a national strategy to combat obesity.
    ``(d) Obesity Defined.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`obesity' shall have the meaning given such term by the Centers of 
Disease Control and Prevention.''.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY REVIEWS TO COMBAT OBESITY.

    (a) Reviews and Reports by Federal Agencies Required.--
            (1) Reviews.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act and on an annual basis thereafter, the 
        head of each Federal agency shall conduct a review of the 
        programs and budgets of such agency to determine how such 
        programs and budgets impact physical activity, nutrition, and 
        the rate of occurrence of obesity (as defined in section 
        399S(c) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 
        2) among people in the United States. Based on the findings of 
        each such review of a Federal agency, the head of such agency 
        shall determine ways in which the agency should adopt aspects 
        of the governmentwide strategy established under section 
        399S(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by 
        section 2, and implement such aspects as appropriate.
            (2) Reports.--Not later than 12 months after the date of 
        the completion of a review under paragraph (1) by a Federal 
        agency, the head of the agency shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the results of such review, including any aspects of 
        the governmentwide strategy described in such paragraph that 
        are determined should be adopted by the agency and any such 
        aspects that have been implemented by the agency since the 
        previous review conducted by the agency under this subsection.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than 12 months and annually thereafter, 
the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report that contains 
the results of a review conducted by the Comptroller General of the 
programs and budgets of each Federal agency to determine how such 
programs and budgets impact physical activity, nutrition, and the rate 
of occurrence of obesity (as so defined) among people in the United 
States.
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