[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9952 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9952
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
encourage local educational agencies to provide students with at least
one hour of physical activity time during each school day, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2026
Mr. Barrett (for himself and Ms. Schrier) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
encourage local educational agencies to provide students with at least
one hour of physical activity time during each school day, 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 Access for Learning Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, in the years 2021-2023, 21 percent of American
youth were obese.
(2) Twenty-five percent of children in the United States
are sedentary.
(3) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends school-aged children and adolescents get at least 60
minutes of exercise every day.
(4) Nearly half of type 2 diabetes cases in kids are caused
by obesity.
(5) Seventy percent of youth with obesity have at least one
risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
(6) Elementary and middle school recess has declined
sharply over the past 2 decades, especially in lower-income
school districts.
(7) Regular physical activity and free play improve
attention, behavior, memory, focus, and academic performance.
(8) The findings of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and multiple studies show recess reduces disruptions
and supports stronger learning without hurting instructional
time.
SEC. 3. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS.
Section 1112(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (12), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (14); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following:
``(13) if determined appropriate by the local educational
agency, how the local educational agency will provide
elementary and secondary school students with at least 60
minutes of physical activity time during each regular school
day as described in section 8549D; and''.
SEC. 4. ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT SAFE AND HEALTHY STUDENTS.
Section 4108(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7118(5)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (H)(iii), by striking ``or'' at the
end;
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(J) programs or activities that provide students
with not less than 60 minutes of daily recess or other
periods of unstructured physical activity during the
regular school day, consistent with the age and
developmental needs of students.''.
SEC. 5. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TIME ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS.
Subpart 2 of part F of title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``SEC. 8549D. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TIME FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
SCHOOL STUDENTS.
``(a) Requirement.--Each local educational agency receiving funds
under part A of title I is encouraged to establish and maintain a
policy pursuant to which students of elementary and secondary schools
under the jurisdiction of that agency are provided with at least 60
minutes of physical activity time during each regular school day.
``(b) Physical Activity Time Defined.--In this section, the term
`physical activity time' means time during which a student is given an
opportunity to engage in physical exercise, inclusive of time spent in
designated periods of recess and physical education courses.''.
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