[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 1 (Thursday, January 4, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S109-S110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 100. A bill to encourage the health of children in schools by 
promoting better nutrition and increased physical activity, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Healthy 
Students Act, a bill that addresses the rising epidemic of childhood 
obesity.
  Over the past 30 years, obesity rates have doubled for teenagers and 
tripled for children ages 6 to 11. Today, more than 30 percent of 
children in America are overweight and more than 15 percent are obese. 
As a result, more children are suffering from traditionally adult 
diseases--including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high 
cholesterol--and putting their health in great danger.
  While the reasons for the growing number of obese children problems 
are complex, the underlying problem is simple. Children are becoming 
obese because they are eating too much unhealthy food and getting too 
little exercise.
  Vending machines are in too many of our schools. Children today eat 
five times as much fast food as they did 30 years ago. And the number 
of students who eat green vegetables ``nearly every day or more'' has 
dropped to only 30 percent.
  Children are getting too little exercise. Nearly 23 percent of 
children ages 9-13 do not engage in any free-time physical activity 
during the school day, and nearly 60 percent do not participate in any 
kind of organized sports or physical activity program outside of 
school.
  Also, the lack of qualified health professionals (school nurses)--
compounded with the access to them--is taking an adverse toll on 
children's health in our public schools. With just one licensed nurse 
for every 1,155 students, too many children don't have access to a 
caring health care professional who can diagnose illness, administer 
medicine, handle emergencies, or treat injuries.
  We should ensure that during the school day, children have access to 
better nutrition and health care, more physical activity, and the 
skills necessary for a lifetime of good health. And that's what the 
Healthy Students Act will do.
  First, the bill creates a commission of children's health experts to 
review existing school nutrition guidelines and develop new, healthier 
standards that provide more fresh fruits and vegetables and eliminate 
food of minimal nutritional value.
  Second, the bill creates a grant program for school nutrition pilot 
programs that promote alternative healthful food promotion in its 
curriculum and lunch program.
  I have seen firsthand what can be accomplished with such innovative 
programs. For example in Berkeley, California, the ``Edible 
Schoolyard'' program is changing the way kids eat and learn about 
nutrition. Schools in the Edible Schoolyard program maintain an organic 
garden and integrate the garden into both the curriculum and

[[Page S110]]

lunch program. This hands-on approach educates students on healthy 
eating--from planting, to harvesting, to their plates. By teaching kids 
about the connection between what they eat and where it comes from, we 
can help them develop good nutrition habits that will last a lifetime.
  Third, the bill creates a ``Healthy Hour'' pilot program that 
provides funding for an additional hour to the school day either 
before, after or during school--set aside specifically for physical 
activity. As more and more schools have cut recess and physical 
education classes, the bill provides funding for programs that extend 
physical activity time and highlight the importance of exercise for 
children in schools across the country.
  Fourth, to make sure that children have the equipment they need, the 
bill provides tax incentives to individuals and businesses to donate 
exercise and gymnasium equipment to schools and organizations serving 
students.
  And fifth, to address the shortage of qualified health care 
professionals in schools, the bill creates a tuition loan forgiveness 
program for those who earn a degree in nursing and make a minimum 3-
year commitment to work in a public elementary or secondary school. We 
are saying to prospective nurses: If you make an investment in helping 
kids, then we will make an investment in you.
  Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic that we must address now. I 
urge my colleagues to support the Healthy Students Act to ensure that 
all children have the health they need to achieve their dreams.
                                 ______