[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4604 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4604

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national 
     program to conduct and support activities toward the goal of 
 significantly reducing the number of cases of overweight and obesity 
                among individuals in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 24, 2012

  Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national 
     program to conduct and support activities toward the goal of 
 significantly reducing the number of cases of overweight and obesity 
                among individuals in the United States.

    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 ``Lifelong Improvements in Food and 
Exercise Act'' or the ``LIFE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Currently, 64.5 percent of adults, age 20 years and 
        older, are either overweight or obese and 35.7 million (more 
        than one-third of the adult population) are obese.
            (2) Among adults who were 20 to 74 years of age, the 
        prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0 percent in 1976 
        through 1980 to 32.9 percent in 2003 through 2004.
            (3) During 2003 through 2004, of children and adolescents 
        who were 2 to 19 years of age, more than 12,500,000 (or 17.1 
        percent) were overweight.
            (4) Since 1980, the percentage of children who are obese 
        has more than doubled and the percentage of adolescents who are 
        obese has more than tripled.
            (5) More than one-third of adults do not get enough 
        physical activity and adults have increased their caloric 
        consumption.
            (6) The rising rates of obesity portend greater disease and 
        health conditions, including hypertension, high total 
        cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, 
        gallbladder disease, osteoporosis, sleep apnea, respiratory 
        problems, and some cancers, such as endometrial, breast, and 
        colon.
            (7) Many underlying factors have been linked to the 
        increase in obesity, such as increased portion sizes; eating 
        out more often; increased consumption of sugar-sweetened 
        drinks; increased television, computer, and electronic gaming 
        time; changed labor markets; and fear of crime, which prevents 
        outdoor exercise.
            (8) Chronic diseases account for 70 percent of all deaths 
        each year. Although chronic diseases are among the most common 
        and costly health problems, they are also among the most 
        preventable. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, such as eating 
        nutritious foods and engaging in physical activity, can prevent 
        or control the devastating effects of these diseases.
            (9) In 2008, overall medical costs related to obesity for 
        adults were estimated to be as high as $147 billion. People who 
        were obese had medical costs that were on average $1,429 
        greater than such costs for people of normal body weight.

SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN PREVALENCE OF OBESITY; PROGRAM FOR LIFELONG 
              IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD AND EXERCISE.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317T the following new 
section:

``SEC. 317U. REDUCTION IN PREVALENCE OF OBESITY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall carry out a 
national program to conduct and support activities regarding 
individuals who are overweight or obese in order to make progress 
toward the goal of significantly reducing the number of cases of 
overweight and obesity among individuals in the United States.
    ``(b) Certain Activities.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall (directly or through grants or contracts) carry out the 
following with respect to individuals who are overweight:
            ``(1) Activities to train health professionals to recognize 
        that patients are overweight and to recommend prevention 
        activities regarding such condition, including educating 
        patients on the relationship between such condition and 
        cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health conditions, 
        and on proper nutrition and regular physical activities.
            ``(2) Activities to educate the public with respect to the 
        condition of being overweight, including the development of a 
        strategy for a public awareness campaign.
            ``(3) The development and demonstration of intervention 
        strategies for use at worksites and in community settings such 
        as hospitals and community health centers.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 
for fiscal year 2013, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2014 through 2016.''.
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