[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3126 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3126

 To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to promote 
   the health and well-being of schoolchildren in the United States 
   through effective local wellness policies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 16, 2010

 Ms. Klobuchar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to promote 
   the health and well-being of schoolchildren in the United States 
   through effective local wellness policies, 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 ``Healthy Local Policies for Schools 
Act of 2010'' or the ``HELP Schools Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) childhood obesity increased threefold among children 
        and adolescents in the 30 years preceding the date of enactment 
        of this Act;
            (2) about 12,000,000 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 
        are considered obese;
            (3) obesity-related diseases cost the United States economy 
        more than $147,000,000,000 every year;
            (4) both low levels of physical activity and an increase in 
        caloric intake have contributed to the unprecedented epidemic 
        of childhood obesity;
            (5) overweight adolescents have a 70 to 80 percent chance 
        of becoming overweight adults, increasing the risk for chronic 
        disease, disability, and death;
            (6) children and adolescents are--
                    (A) not meeting dietary recommendations;
                    (B) underconsuming important food groups and 
                nutrients needed for growth and development; and
                    (C) overconsuming saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, 
                and added sugars;
            (7) nutrition education and promotion helps foster a school 
        environment that--
                    (A) supports healthy eating;
                    (B) helps initiate and sustain healthy eating 
                behaviors;
                    (C) increases acceptance and consumption of healthy 
                school meals;
                    (D) increases participation in school meal 
                programs;
                    (E) enhances school meal quality; and
                    (F) supports development and implementation of 
                local wellness policies;
            (8) nutrition education and promotion is a critical 
        component of most major health promotion and disease prevention 
        programs;
            (9) research shows that school-based nutrition programs and 
        services both improve health and contribute to the academic 
        achievement of school children;
            (10) research shows that fit children achieve more 
        academically and have better school attendance and fewer 
        disciplinary problems;
            (11) a comprehensive study of local wellness policies 
        across the United States found that--
                    (A) many policies were underdeveloped and 
                fragmented; and
                    (B) the vast majority of students were enrolled in 
                a school district that did not--
                            (i) require evaluation of the 
                        implementation or effectiveness of the wellness 
                        policy of the district; or
                            (ii) include any provisions for reviewing 
                        and revising the wellness policy;
            (12) the same study reported that between 5 and 6 percent 
        of students were enrolled in a school district that had 
        identified a potential source of funding to support 
        implementation of the wellness policy of the district;
            (13) the nutrition education and promotion initiatives for 
        school children in effect as of the date of enactment of this 
        Act lack coordination, funding, and sustainability;
            (14) the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans of the 
        Department of Health and Human Services recommend that children 
        engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most, and 
        preferably all, days of the week;
            (15) children spend many waking hours at school and 
        therefore need to be active during the school day to meet the 
        recommendations of the Physical Activity Guidelines for 
        Americans; and
            (16) as of the date of enactment of this Act--
                    (A) only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 
                percent of middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high 
                schools provide daily physical education or the 
                equivalent for the entire school year; and
                    (B) 22 percent of schools do not require students 
                to take any physical education at all.

SEC. 3. LOCAL WELLNESS POLICIES.

    Section 5 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1754) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 5. LOCAL WELLNESS POLICIES.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Extended school day.--The term `extended school day' 
        means--
                    ``(A) the official school day; and
                    ``(B) the time before and after the official school 
                day during which events or activities are primarily 
                under the control of the school or a third party on 
                behalf of the school.
            ``(2) Local wellness policy.--The term `local wellness 
        policy' means a nutrition and physical activity wellness policy 
        of a local educational agency established under section 204 of 
        the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (42 
        U.S.C. 1751 note; Public Law 108-265).
    ``(b) Requirements.--Not later than the first day of the school 
year beginning 1 year after the date of enactment of the HELP Schools 
Act of 2010, each local educational agency participating in a program 
authorized by this Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1771 et seq.) shall strengthen the local school wellness policy of the 
local educational agency by ensuring, at a minimum, that the policy--
            ``(1) includes goals for nutrition promotion and education, 
        physical education, physical activity, food marketing and 
        advertising on the school campus, and other school-based 
        activities designed to promote participation in child nutrition 
        programs and student wellness through the extended school day, 
        in a manner that the local educational agency determines to be 
        appropriate;
            ``(2) includes an implementation plan to achieve the goals 
        of the local wellness policy;
            ``(3) ensures that guidelines for reimbursable school meals 
        are not less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued 
        by the Secretary pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of section 
        10 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1779) and 
        sections 9(f)(1) and 17(a) of this Act, as those regulations 
        and guidance apply to schools;
            ``(4) ensures that nutritional guidelines for foods and 
        beverages sold in schools that are not part of reimbursable 
        school meals are in compliance with the standards established 
        by the Secretary; and
            ``(5) includes a plan for measuring implementation of the 
        local wellness policy, including the designation of a local 
        wellness policy committee under subsection (d).
    ``(c) Transparency.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, each local 
        educational agency shall make readily available and widely 
        disseminate to relevant stakeholders--
                    ``(A) the local wellness policy of the local 
                education agency, including the implementation plan 
                described in subsection (b)(5);
                    ``(B) any assessments of the implementation of the 
                local wellness policy;
                    ``(C) any updates to the local wellness policy; and
                    ``(D) appropriate local and State contact 
                information.
            ``(2) Availability requirement.--Not later than the first 
        day of the school year following the date of enactment of the 
        HELP Schools Act of 2010, each local educational agency shall 
        make readily available the policy and plan described in 
        paragraph (1)(A).
            ``(3) Assessment of implementation.--
                    ``(A) Assessment of implementation.--Not later than 
                2 years after the date of enactment of the HELP Schools 
                Act of 2010, and every 3 years thereafter, each local 
                educational agency shall complete and make readily 
                available the results of an assessment of the 
                implementation of the local wellness policy of the 
                local educational agency that includes--
                            ``(i) the extent to which schools under the 
                        jurisdiction of the local educational agency 
                        are in compliance with the local wellness 
                        policy of the agency;
                            ``(ii) the extent to which the local 
                        wellness policy of the local educational agency 
                        compares with model local wellness policies 
                        recommended under subsection (e)(2)(A)(ii); and
                            ``(iii)(I) a description of the progress 
                        made in attaining the goals of the local 
                        wellness policy described in subsection (b); 
                        and
                            ``(II) any revisions to the local wellness 
                        policy to more effectively address those goals.
    ``(d) Local Wellness Policy Committee.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of enactment of the HELP Schools Act of 2010, each local 
        educational agency shall designate a standing Local Wellness 
        Policy Committee (referred to in this subsection as the 
        `Committee').
            ``(2) Representation.--
                    ``(A) Required representatives.--The Committee of 
                each local educational agency shall be comprised of at 
                least 1 representative from the local educational 
                agency from each of the following categories of 
                stakeholders:
                            ``(i) Principals.
                            ``(ii) Teachers.
                            ``(iii) Parents of students.
                            ``(iv) Students.
                            ``(v) The school food authority.
                            ``(vi) The school board of the local 
                        educational agency.
                            ``(vii) The physical education program.
                            ``(viii) School health professionals, such 
                        as school nurses, school counselors, social 
                        workers, or health education teachers.
                    ``(B) Authorized representatives.--A Committee may 
                also include a registered dietitian, pediatrician, 
                dentist, a representative of the local health 
                department, or other representatives of the local 
                community.
            ``(3) Terms and conditions.--Each local educational agency 
        shall determine the terms and conditions under which each 
        member of the Committee of the local educational agency serves.
            ``(4) Duties.--Duties and responsibilities of each 
        Committee shall include--
                    ``(A) ensuring that the local educational agency 
                served by the Committee meets the requirements 
                described in this section;
                    ``(B) fostering integration of the local wellness 
                policy of the local educational agency with existing 
                coordinated school health programs, and other health-
                related activities in the schools and community served 
                by the local educational agency; and
                    ``(C) making Committee proceedings and other 
                pertinent information relating to the activities of the 
                Committee readily available.
    ``(e) Technical Assistance and Outreach.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, shall assist in the adoption of effective local 
        wellness policies by local educational agencies in accordance 
        with this section.
            ``(2) Outreach.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall perform outreach to key State and local 
        stakeholders to promote effective local wellness policies and 
        provide technical assistance that--
                    ``(A) includes--
                            ``(i) a hotline, online resources, and 
                        trainings on designing, implementing, 
                        promoting, disseminating, and evaluating local 
                        wellness policies and overcoming barriers to 
                        the adoption of local wellness policies; and
                            ``(ii) model local wellness policies and 
                        best practices recommended by Federal agencies, 
                        State agencies, and nongovernmental 
                        organizations; and
                    ``(B) is for guidance purposes only and not binding 
                or otherwise designed to be mandate to schools, local 
                educational agencies, school food authorities, or State 
                child nutrition programs.
            ``(3) Funding.--
                    ``(A) In general.--On October 1, 2010, and on each 
                October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2014, out of 
                any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 
                the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the 
                Secretary to carry out this paragraph $1,000,000, to 
                remain available until expended.
                    ``(B) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall 
                be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to 
                carry out this paragraph the funds transferred under 
                subparagraph (A), without further appropriation. 
    ``(f) Study and Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in conjunction with the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall prepare a report on the implementation, strength, and 
        effectiveness of the local wellness policies carried out in 
        accordance with this section.
            ``(2) Study of local wellness policies.--The study 
        described in paragraph (1) shall include--
                    ``(A) an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses 
                of local wellness policies and how the policies compare 
                with model local wellness policies recommended under 
                subsection (e)(2)(A)(ii); and
                    ``(B) an assessment of the impact of the local 
                wellness policies in addressing the requirements of 
                subsection (b).
            ``(3) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2014, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 
        Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a report 
        that describes the findings of the study.''.

SEC. 4. REPEAL.

    Section 204 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 
2004 (42 U.S.C. 1751 note; Public Law 108-265) is repealed.

SEC. 5. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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