[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 124 (Tuesday, October 5, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H8063-H8064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING SPIRIT OF JACOB MOCK DOUB AND EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS
THAT ``NATIONAL TAKE A KID MOUNTAIN BIKING DAY'' SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED
IN JACOB MOCK DOUB'S HONOR
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 480) recognizing the
spirit of Jacob Mock Doub and his contribution to encouraging youth to
be physically active and fit and expressing the sense of Congress that
``National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day'' should be established in
Jacob Mock Doub's honor.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 480
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, obesity rates have nearly tripled in adolescents
in the United States since 1980;
Whereas overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of
becoming overweight or obese adults;
Whereas research conducted by the National Institutes of
Health indicates that while genetics do play a role in
childhood obesity, the large increase in childhood obesity
rates over the past few decades can be traced to overeating
and lack of sufficient exercise;
Whereas the Surgeon General and the President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports recommend regular physical
activity, including bicycling, for the prevention of
overweight and obesity;
Whereas Jacob Mock ``Jack'' Doub, born July 11, 1985, was
actively involved in encouraging others, especially children,
to ride bicycles;
Whereas Jack Doub, an active youth with an avid interest in
the outdoors, was introduced to mountain biking at the age of
11 near Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, and quickly
became a talented cyclist;
Whereas Jack Doub won almost every cross-country race he
entered for two years, and between the ages of 14 and 17
became a top national-level downhill and slalom competitor;
Whereas Jack Doub placed second in junior expert dual
slalom at the 2002 National Off Road Bicycling Association's
National Championship Series at Snowshoe Mountain;
Whereas Jack Doub died unexpectedly from complications
related to a bicycling injury on October 21, 2002;
Whereas Jack Doub's family and friends have joined, in
association with the International Mountain Bicycling
Association, to honor Jack Doub's spirit and love of
bicycling by establishing the Jack Doub Memorial Fund to
promote and encourage children of all ages to learn to ride
and lead a physically active lifestyle;
Whereas the International Mountain Bicycling Association's
worldwide network includes 32,000 individual members, more
than 450 bicycle clubs, 140 corporate partners, and 240
bicycle retailer members who coordinate
[[Page H8064]]
more than 1,000,000 volunteer trailwork hours each year and
have built more than 5,000 miles of new trails; and
Whereas the International Mountain Bicycling Association
has encouraged low-impact riding and volunteer trailwork
participation since 1988: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) recognizes the health risks associated with childhood
obesity;
(2) recognizes the spirit of Jacob Mock Doub and his
contribution to encouraging youth of all ages to be
physically active and fit, especially through bicycling;
(3) expresses its sense that ``National Take a Kid Mountain
Biking Day'' should be established in honor of Jacob Mock
Doub; and
(4) encourages parents, schools, civic organizations, and
students to promote increased physical activity among youth
in the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Barton) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).
General Leave
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 480.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise to support H. Con. Res. 480, authored by my
good friend, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), to recognize
the spirit of Jacob Mock Doub and his contribution to encouraging youth
to be physically active and fit.
Jacob Doub, a resident of North Carolina, died unexpectedly from
complications related to a bicycling injury 2 years ago. His spirit,
however, lives on as his family and friends have recently joined with
the International Mountain Bicycling Association to establish the Jack
Doub Memorial Fund to promote and encourage children of all ages to
learn to ride a bike and to lead a physically active lifestyle.
I understand that Jack's vivacious attitude toward mountain biking
was irrepressible. His energy and drive to be a great mountain biker is
an inspiration to all of us. With obesity rates on the rise, we all
need to take personal responsibility and do more to increase physical
activity to improve our health.
Madam Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), the sponsor of the resolution.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I must correct the record. I am not a
sponsor of the bill. It was introduced by the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey),
though; but I do celebrate the spirit in which it is offered to
recognize the contributions in terms of memorializing the notion of
making sure our youth are physically fit and active and expressing the
sense of Congress that National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day should
be established in Mr. Doub's honor.
I think it is important for us to move in this direction in part to
take someone who loved the spirit, the challenge, the physical activity
of cycling and to translate that to promote and encourage children of
all ages to learn to ride and lead a physically active lifestyle.
This is serious business. The committee has been working throughout
this session of Congress, focusing on the needs of fitness for our
youth. The notion of childhood obesity, the rates have nearly tripled
in adolescents in the United States since 1980, and we know the
research indicates that overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance
of becoming overweight or obese as adults and the range of physical
problems that are associated with it.
That is why the Surgeon General and the President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports recommend regular physical activity,
including bicycling, for the prevention of overweight and obesity, as
well as general health promotion.
Mountain biking is a growing activity around the United States. In my
State of Oregon, over 400,000 people participated in mountain biking
last year. Bike Magazine identified the area around Hood River, Oregon,
just to the east of my district, as some of the finest singletrack in
the mountain bike universe, lying within an 80-mile radius of Hood
River, incorporating all of the area that I represent.
It is important not just to fitness and recreation. It is also
important to the economy.
Overall, bicycling and mountain bike tourism is important to local
and State economies. We are finding across the country cycling
activities are gathering tourists for organized rides, for touring and
for mountain biking. In our State, tourism is a $6.1 billion industry,
and we are watching as bicycling is becoming an ever-increasing part of
that effort, programs like Cycle Oregon that bring together 2,000
people from around the country every year.
It also is the source of a growing industry just in terms of cycle
manufacturing and sales. There are thousands of small businesses across
America that are part of the bicycling industry and specifically
mountain biking. We just found this last year in Oregon the Chris King
Precision Components relocated from California to Oregon because of the
local support for mountain biking.
{time} 1345
And they join one of dozens of companies that are a part of that
effort, creating a critical mass in terms of the component,
manufacturing, sales and service.
For all of these reasons, in terms of celebrating the spirit of
mountain biking, the importance of promoting fitness, particularly
among our youth, because it is so important in areas like tourism and
small businesses, I rise in support of this resolution and urge my
colleagues not just to support it, but find ways that they can
translate this back home to their communities to make a difference.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume to urge all my colleagues to support this. This is a good piece
of legislation. It recognizes an individual in the district of the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), who died in a bicycling
accident. It also recognizes a very helpful activity.
I have a mountain bike, although in Texas you would have to call it
more of a prairie bike or a hill bike; but this is a good thing, and I
hope we can pass it unanimously.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) that the House suspend
the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 480.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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