[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 114--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR DESIGNATION OF APRIL 27, 
               2009, AS ``NATIONAL HEALTHY SCHOOLS DAY''

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 114

       Whereas there are approximately 54,000,000 children and 
     7,000,000 adults who spend their days in the Nation's 120,000 
     public and private schools;
       Whereas over half of all schools in the United States have 
     problems linked to indoor air quality;
       Whereas children are more vulnerable to environmental 
     hazards, as they breathe in more air per pound of body weight 
     due to their developing systems;
       Whereas children spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per 
     week in school;
       Whereas poor indoor environmental quality is associated 
     with a wide range of problems that include poor 
     concentration, respiratory illnesses, learning difficulties, 
     and cancer;
       Whereas an average of 1 in every 13 school-age children has 
     asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, accounting 
     for approximately 14,700,000 missed school days each year;
       Whereas the Nation's schools spend approximately 
     $8,000,000,000 a year on energy costs, causing officials to 
     make very difficult decisions on cutting back on much needed 
     academic programs in their efforts to maintain heat and 
     electricity;
       Whereas healthy and high-performance schools that are 
     designed to reduce energy and maintenance costs, provide 
     cleaner air, improve lighting, and reduce exposure to toxic 
     substances provide a healthier and safer learning environment 
     for children and improve academic achievement and well-being;
       Whereas new building construction, especially for new 
     school buildings, should be designed to meet energy 
     efficiency standards, including Leadership in Energy and 
     Environmental Design (LEED) standards;
       Whereas green and healthy schools save an average of 
     $100,000 per year on energy costs, enough to hire 2 teachers, 
     buy 200 new computers, or purchase 5,000 new textbooks;
       Whereas converting all of the Nation's schools to green 
     schools would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 33,200,000 
     metric tons;
       Whereas Congress has demonstrated its interest in this 
     compelling issue by including the Health High-Performance 
     Schools program in the No Child Left Behind Act and the 
     Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007;
       Whereas our schools have the great responsibility of 
     guiding the future of our children and our Nation; and
       Whereas April 27, 2009, would be an appropriate date to 
     designate as ``National Healthy Schools Day'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate supports the designation of April 
     27, 2009, as ``National Healthy Schools Day''.

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