[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 29 (Thursday, February 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2100-S2101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN (for himself and Mrs. Clinton):
  S. 651. A bill to help promote the national recommendation of 
physical activity to kids, families, and communities across the United 
States; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, as you may have heard, today we are 
launching the Partnership for Play Every Day and it has been 
spearheaded by three terrific organizations: the YMCA, the National 
Recreation and Park Association, and the National Association for Sport 
and Physical Education. Together, they have 350 years of experience in 
helping our kids to be physically active or, to use the old-fashioned 
word, ``to play.''
  More than a century ago, these groups came together to support the 
Playground Movement, which took kids out of factories and coal mines, 
and gave them parks and playgrounds where they could be children again.
  Well, today we face a different challenge. As we confront an epidemic 
of childhood obesity, as many new elementary schools are built without 
playgrounds, as recess and PE are phased out of so many of our schools, 
we need a 21st century Playground Movement. And that's what we are 
launching this morning.
  On a personal note, I have been a lifelong admirer of the YMCA. When 
I was in my early 20s and aspiring to join the Navy as a fighter pilot, 
they told me: First you've got to learn how to swim. So what did I do? 
I signed up at the Y in downtown Des Moines for swimming lessons.
  Well, the Y was there for me, just as the Y is there for millions of 
American families, giving them the facilities and tools to stay fit and 
healthy.
  You know, there is something fundamentally wrong when kids spend 
their free time parked in front of the TV instead of playing in parks.
  I mentioned the childhood obesity epidemic. ``Epidemic'' is not my 
word. That's what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call 
it. Today, nearly 15 percent of American children and teenagers are 
obese. A quarter of the children between the ages of 5 and 10 already 
show the early warning signs of heart disease. Cases of adult-onset 
diabetes in children--which used to be almost unheard of--have exploded 
tenfold in the last two decades.
  Add it all up, and experts say there is a very real prospect that 
today's kids could be the first generation in American history to have 
a shorter lifespan than their parent's generation.
  And that is unacceptable. We are not going to let that happen. And 
that is why we have set the goal of ensuring that every child in 
America gets 60 minutes of play and physical activity every day.
  Hand in hand with this important new initiative, today I am honored 
to introduce with Senator Hillary Clinton a bill called the PLAY Every 
Day Act. That first word, PLAY, is an acronym for ``Promoting Lifelong 
Active Communities.''
  The PLAY Every Day Act will help to promote the national physical-
activity standards for both children and adults.
  To that end, the legislation will do two things:
  One, it will mandate the development of a well-validated assessment 
tool called the ``community play index,'' to identify barriers 
preventing young people from being physically active in a given 
community.
  And two, it will help local coalitions to use this ``community play 
index'' as they craft plans to promote physical activity and wellness 
in their communities.
  My vision is to have every community in America focused on promoting

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health and preventing disease--instead of just dealing with the bad 
consequences of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
  By the way, I am grateful to the good corporate citizens that are 
joining in the Partnership for Play Every Day, including PepsiCo, 
Toyota, Kellogg Company, General Mills, PlayCore, and Landscape 
Structures. Your support of this legislation and new initiative is 
going to be critical to the Partnership's success.
  So, again, I salute all the players in this new Partnership. 
Together, we can build a better, healthier future for America's 
children.
                                 ______