III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 114 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 27, 2009 Mrs. Gillibrand submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Expressing support for designation of April 27, 2009, as National Healthy Schools Day.

Whereas there are approximately 54,000,000 children and 7,000,000 adults who spend their days in the Nation's 120,000 public and private schools; Whereas over half of all schools in the United States have problems linked to indoor air quality; Whereas children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards, as they breathe in more air per pound of body weight due to their developing systems; Whereas children spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per week in school; Whereas poor indoor environmental quality is associated with a wide range of problems that include poor concentration, respiratory illnesses, learning difficulties, and cancer; Whereas an average of 1 in every 13 school-age children has asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, accounting for approximately 14,700,000 missed school days each year; Whereas the Nation's schools spend approximately $8,000,000,000 a year on energy costs, causing officials to make very difficult decisions on cutting back on much needed academic programs in their efforts to maintain heat and electricity; Whereas healthy and high-performance schools that are designed to reduce energy and maintenance costs, provide cleaner air, improve lighting, and reduce exposure to toxic substances provide a healthier and safer learning environment for children and improve academic achievement and well-being; Whereas new building construction, especially for new school buildings, should be designed to meet energy efficiency standards, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards; Whereas green and healthy schools save an average of $100,000 per year on energy costs, enough to hire 2 teachers, buy 200 new computers, or purchase 5,000 new textbooks; Whereas converting all of the Nation's schools to green schools would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 33,200,000 metric tons; Whereas Congress has demonstrated its interest in this compelling issue by including the Health High-Performance Schools program in the No Child Left Behind Act and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; Whereas our schools have the great responsibility of guiding the future of our children and our Nation; and Whereas April 27, 2009, would be an appropriate date to designate as National Healthy Schools Day: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate supports the designation of April 27, 2009, as National Healthy Schools Day.