[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2758-H2762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FITNESS INTEGRATED WITH TEACHING KIDS ACT
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1585) to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 to improve standards for physical education, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1585
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 ``Fitness Integrated with
Teaching Kids Act'' or the ``FIT Kids Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in
the United States.
(2) Researchers estimate that medical costs of the obesity
epidemic may total as much as $147,000,000,000 annually.
(3) The prevalence of overweight in children between the
ages of 6 and 11 years increased from 4.0 percent between
1971 to 1974 to 17.5 percent between 2001to 2004, and the
prevalence of overweight in adolescents between the ages of
12 and 19 years increased from 6.1 percent to 17.0 percent.
(4) Recent studies indicating that 17 percent of 6 to 11
year-olds and 17.6 percent of 12 to 19 year-olds are
considered obese. Furthermore, 33 percent of 6 to11 year olds
and 34 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are overweight; these
rates have roughly doubled since 1980.
(5) Of all United States deaths from major chronic disease,
23 percent are linked to sedentary lifestyles that now begin
at childhood.
(6) Overweight adolescents have a 70 to 80 percent chance
of becoming overweight adults, increasing their risk for
chronic disease, disability, and death.
(7) A decline in physical activity has contributed to the
unprecedented epidemic of childhood obesity.
(8) The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
published by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
recommend that children engage in 60 minutes or more of
physical activity each day.
(9) In a 2005 Government Accountability Office report on
key strategies to include in programs designed to target
childhood obesity, ``increasing physical activity'' was
identified as the most important component in any such
program.
(10) Part of the decline in physical activity has been in
our Nation's schools, where physical education programs have
been cut back in the past 2 decades.
(11) The national standard for physical education
frequency, as outlined in the Physical Activity Guidelines
for Americans, is 150 minutes per week in elementary school
and 225 minutes per week in middle school and high school.
(12) Only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 percent of
middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high schools provide daily
physical education or its equivalent for the entire school
year, and 22 percent of schools do not require students to
take any physical education at all.
(13) Among children ages 9 to 13, 61.5 percent do not
participate in any organized physical activity during out-of-
school hours.
(14) Regular physical activity is associated with a
healthier, longer life and a lower risk of cardiovascular
disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and some
cancers.
(15) Research suggests a strong correlation between
children's fitness and their academic performance as measured
by grades in core subjects and standardized test scores.
(16) Approximately 81 percent of adults believe daily
physical education should be mandatory in schools.
SEC. 3. INCREASING AWARENESS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
OPPORTUNITIES AT SCHOOL.
(a) Local Educational Agencies.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, each local educational agency located in a State
receiving funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.)
shall--
(1) post on its Internet website, or otherwise make
available to parents and families of students served by the
agency, information on healthful eating habits, physical
education, and physical activity, including information on--
(A) the importance of a healthy lifestyle (including
healthful eating habits, physical education, and physical
activity) for an effective learning environment;
(B) how schools served by the agency are promoting healthy
lifestyles, including information on applicable elementary
school and secondary school programs and policies regarding
nutrition, physical education, and physical activity
(including coordinated school health plans or local wellness
policies, as applicable);
(C) whether the schools served by the agency follow an age-
appropriate physical education curriculum for all elementary
school and secondary school students enrolled in the schools
that adheres to national guidelines adopted by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of
Health and Human Services or the State in which the school is
located;
(D) the most recent national recommendations for physical
education and physical activity for elementary school and
secondary school students, as established by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health
and Human Services; and
(E) a description of the amount of time that students in
kindergarten through grade 12 served by the agency are
required to spend in physical education, disaggregated by
[[Page H2759]]
grade level, including information on criteria for granting
students a waiver or exemption, or allowing a substitution
for the requirement; and
(2) assist each school served by the agency in collecting
and disseminating (such as through the Internet website of
the school) to parents and families of students enrolled in
the school, information on--
(A) whether the school follows an age-appropriate physical
education curriculum for all students enrolled in the school
that adheres to national guidelines adopted by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention of Health and Human
Services or the State in which the school is located;
(B) the most recent national recommendations for physical
education and physical activity for elementary school and
secondary school students, as established by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health
and Human Services;
(C) the requirements described in paragraph (1)(E);
(D) a description of the facilities available for physical
education and physical activity for students enrolled in the
school; and
(E) if applicable, any health and wellness council (such as
a school health council or local wellness policy council)
located in the school or that the school is involved with,
including information on--
(i) members;
(ii) membership criteria;
(iii) opportunities for parental involvement; and
(iv) meeting dates and agendas.
(b) State Educational Agencies.--
(1) Submission; information availability.--Not later than
15 days after a local educational agency described in
subsection (a) posts on its Internet website the information
described in subsection (a)(1)(E), and annually thereafter,
the local educational agency shall provide to the applicable
State educational agency the information described in such
subsection.
(2) Additional duties of the state educational agency.--A
State educational agency that receives information under
paragraph (1) shall ensure that the information is made
available to the general public within a reasonable period of
time, such as through the Internet website of the State
educational agency.
SEC. 4. STUDIES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FITNESS.
(a) National Research Council Study.--Subject to the
availability of funds appropriated to carry out this
subsection, the Secretary of Education shall enter into a
contract with the National Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences to--
(1) examine and make recommendations regarding--
(A) various means that may be employed to incorporate
physical activity into elementary school and secondary school
settings, and before- and after-school programs;
(B) innovative and effective ways to increase physical
activity for all students in kindergarten through grade 12;
and
(C) efforts to encourage the participation of students with
disabilities in physical education programs and the types of
accommodations used to increase the participation of such
students;
(2) study the impact of health, level of physical activity,
and amount of physical education on students' ability to
learn and maximize performance in school; and
(3) study and provide specific recommendations for
effectively measuring the progress students, at the
elementary school and secondary school level, in increasing
physical activity and improving their health and well-being,
including improving their--
(A) knowledge, awareness, and behavior, related to
nutrition and physical activity;
(B) cognitive development, and fitness, with physical
education;
(C) knowledge of lifetime physical activity and health
promotion; and
(D) performance on overall health indicators, including
flexibility, endurance, strength, balance, and blood
pressure.
(b) National Fitness Study.--Subject to the availability of
funds to carry out this subsection, the Secretary of
Education shall conduct a study on the participation of
students in physical education and other physical activities
in public elementary schools and public secondary schools
that--
(1) examines student participation in exercise (including
sports and active games), including the types, frequency,
duration, and seasonality of exercise participation,
through--
(A) school physical education classes;
(B) other school programs; and
(C) intramural activities; and
(2) assesses student physical activity and fitness levels.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this section for fiscal year 2011.
SEC. 5. DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall
identify and make available to State educational agencies and
local educational agencies, best practices on innovative
physical education and physical activity policies and
programs at the State and local level, including best
practices that--
(1) identify and address common challenges to States and
local educational agencies in implementing physical education
and physical activity policies and programs, including
barriers for meeting national recommendations for physical
education and physical activity in schools, as established by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the
Department of Health and Human Services; and
(2) meet or are working toward meeting the national
recommendations for physical education and physical activity
in schools, as established by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
(b) Updating Best Practices.--The Secretary shall update
the best practices described in subsection (a) after
completion of the study carried out under section 4(a).
SEC. 6. PROMOTING THE HEALTHIERUS SCHOOL CHALLENGE.
The Secretary of Education, in collaboration with the
Secretary of Agriculture, shall encourage schools to
participate in the HealthierUS School Challenge of the Food
and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
Except as otherwise provided, any term used in this Act
that is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) shall have
the meaning given the term in such section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from the
Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) and the gentlewoman from Illinois
(Mrs. Biggert) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands.
General Leave
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R.
1585 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands?
There was no objection.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1585, which brings much-
needed attention to the role of physical attention and activity in our
Nation's schools and the importance of healthy living and active
lifestyles.
This legislation comes at a critical time. Obesity among our Nation's
children has not only reached epidemic proportions, it has become a
public health crisis. The danger of childhood obesity is far greater
than any other health-related emergency we have seen in the past
decade. The percentage of children that are overweight in America has
tripled over the last 30 years. Nearly 25 million children and teens
are considered overweight or obese, a number that keeps on rising.
The First Lady has recognized the need to address this epidemic and
has created the ``Let's Move'' initiative. Her initiative has four key
pillars to achieve the goal of ending childhood obesity: Getting
parents more involved and informed about nutrition and exercise; making
healthy foods more accessible and affordable; increasing attention to
physical activity; and lastly, improving the quality of food in the
school meal programs.
This legislation touches on many of those goals, making available
important information to parents and communities regarding the type of
physical education being provided to students, encouraging increased
physical education and activity and promoting the Healthier U.S. School
Challenge, which recognizes schools that are creating healthier school
environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical
activity. The legislation will also make available best practices for
innovative and successful physical education programs and policies at
the State and local level.
Finally, the bill calls for a National Research Council study to
figure out the best way to incorporate physical activity into the
school day and study the relationship between physical activity and
cognitive development and academic achievement. This study will build
on recent research that has shown that children's health has a
statistically significant impact on their academic achievement and a
decline in physical education may contribute to a decline in school
performance.
I am glad to join the First Lady in encouraging awareness of the
importance of physical education in our schools. By investing in our
children and their future, we will be investing in our country's future
health and prosperity.
[[Page H2760]]
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Kind and
Representative Wamp for bringing this bill forward and urge my
colleagues to support it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may
consume to a sponsor of this bill, Mr. Wamp of Tennessee.
Mr. WAMP. I thank the gentlewoman and the chairman for the time, and
I will commend Representative Kind, Representative Inslee, and many
others for bringing this legislation to the floor.
But this is just a start of what we need to do in this country. Mr.
Speaker, we have 13-year-olds all over this country on high blood-
pressure medication. We have a type 2 diabetes and chronic obesity
problem in America.
We do have a lot of Federal involvement in education. Now we can
debate how much of that we should have and, frankly, as someone who
seeks to be the 49th Governor of Tennessee, I don't want any more. I
want local control and State control, but we do have, through the
Primary and Secondary Education Act and now No Child Left Behind, a lot
of Federal involvement.
What we really wanted was in the multiple measures category, physical
education to be counted as other requirements are, because Thomas
Jefferson said 200 years ago a child who is not physically well
struggles with learning.
{time} 1430
We now know that is true and more true today than it was then because
of these afflictions, because of poor nutrition. We know in my home
State, with research from Dr. Mark Houston, that healthy doses of fresh
fruits and vegetables can lower the cancer rate in your State by 40
percent. Nutrition is incredibly important.
Physical activity is how children perform better. All the research
shows if a child gets a good healthy dose of cardiovascular exercise,
their brain functions much better, they test much better, they sleep
better, their quality of life increases. Children who are physically
well do much better. We have got to recognize that.
Now, No Child Left Behind has squeezed out a couple of things from
public education: one is PE, the other is arts education. That is
really unfortunate because arts education is a left brain thing that
broadens a child's dimension of education and learning, and physical
activity is essential to a child learning and growing and becoming
productive, let alone the consequences of type 2 diabetes and obesity
and hypertension among young people, which can be a life sentence. So
this is a matter of life or death.
So if we are going to have Federal involvement in education
decisions, we better have PE as part of the mix. We better have the
best research for the States, which is what this bill gets to, on how
to incorporate physical education into the curriculum and the daily
regimen of children in school.
Now, moms and dads need to know this early, but every fourth grader
in America needs to know this is not about how big God made you. Some
of us have big bones, small bones, wide, thin, tall, short, dark,
light; this is about knowing that there is a dial in your life that
must be adjusted if you want to live a high quality of life and you
want to be physically well. The dial means you've got to get a certain
amount of exercise.
PE has been squeezed out of our schools; it needs to be welcomed back
in with open arms. We need healthier children. This is a chronic
problem. We tried to get President Bush to make this a centerpiece
issue. We weren't able, even though he was very physically active and a
great model for the country. We need to do all that we can. This is a
minor first step.
We took out all the mandates of this bill so that people couldn't
complain about that, but let us at least come together and say accurate
information, helping schools and States better understand what works,
what doesn't work, what is the most effective way to incorporate
physical education in education. Mind, body, and spirit is a holistic
way to live a high quality of life. Out of this body we know this; we
have the information. Share it with parents, teachers, directors of
schools and, most importantly, the next generation. We will be a better
country for it.
I urge passage of this bill and I thank the authors.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Inslee) for 1 minute.
Mr. INSLEE. I commend this bill. This is a bipartisan bill to attempt
to prevent a bipartisan epidemic of diabetes from swallowing the next
generation. And as Mr. Wamp, who has done a great job, and Mr. Kind,
who has done a great job on this bill, know, we have had No Child Left
Behind. And as a PE teacher who helped develop this bill said, now we
need a ``leave no child on their behind'' bill. This will help our
parents work with their children to make sure that that is the case.
I am particularly appreciative of what a little physical activity can
do for students in their academic pursuits. We are not talking about
necessarily growing Olympic champions here. We're trying to get kids
who are active to help their academic performance. My dad is an old PE
teacher. I have seen up front and personal the benefit of getting kids
active. And this is a very reasonable means to make sure parents have
information of how active their children are because we intend, in a
bipartisan way, to stop a bipartisan diabetes epidemic. This is a great
bill; let's pass it.
Mrs. BIGGERT. At this time, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Two hundred years ago, James Madison, on the
House floor, gave the following speech, and he said: ``If Congress can
employ money indefinitely to the general welfare and are the soul and
supreme judges of the general welfare, they may appoint teachers in
every State, county and parish, they may take into their own hands the
education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout
the Nation.''
What Madison said sarcastically 200 years ago is actually before us
in bill form today. Madison concluded by saying: ``Were the power of
Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would
subvert the foundations and transmute the very nature of limited
government established by the people of America.''
Now, are the sponsors of this bill sincere? Yes. Are the goals of
this program good? Yes. Would this program be beneficial for kids? Yes.
Should the Federal Government take the initiative to introduce it? No.
If we view the different responsibility levels of government, someone
has to stand up and say, stop, we are not a school board.
There is also a practical reality of this legislation. The most
common response to top-down mandates of teachers who have to implement
it is, this too shall pass, which simply means the potential grants in
the future may be good, but a buy-in has to come at a local level,
which means the advocates of this program should be taking their
initiative to every local district where they can get that buy-in from
those who have to implement it. It will take a lot more time and work,
but it is much more effective in the long run because the reporting
requirements that will be mandated on every district in this Nation by
this bill will produce more resentment than reform.
This bill is well-intentioned, it has all sorts of good motives; but
because of that, it is too important to allow it to remain at the
Federal level. It must be done in the districts where it will actually
have some impact.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) for 4 minutes.
(Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. KIND. I thank my friend for yielding me time.
In response to my good friend from Utah, I know his belief is
sincere, but just to be clear with this legislation before us, we are
not mandating that schools and school districts have to offer physical
education, merely informing parents and the community what physical
activity and what physical education courses are being provided today.
And we are very careful in that.
But there is a very simple concept behind the FIT Kids legislation
before us today, and that is this: studies have shown that it is hard
to develop a
[[Page H2761]]
healthy mind without a healthy body. And as my good friend from
Tennessee (Mr. Wamp) has been fond of saying, one of the best
antidepressants ever invented in the entire world is just good old-
fashioned sweat. That is what we are up against with the childhood
obesity epidemic that is ravaging our country and our youth today, the
onset of early childhood type 2 juvenile diabetes, cardiovascular
disease.
Close to 75 percent of kids today are on the verge of being
overweight. We know that 80 percent of them will be overweight in adult
life if something isn't done to preempt that at a much sooner level.
That is what's behind the movement towards the FIT Kids legislation. It
is an attempt to try to emphasize physical activity and physical
education courses back in our schools today.
Why is this important? Again, part of the reason, as Mr. Wamp pointed
out, is that with the advent of No Child Left Behind, various courses
that were offered in the past are being squeezed. Arts is being
dropped, and physical education, especially, is one of those courses
that is viewed more and more as a discretionary item rather than
something that is necessary to enhance our own child's performance in
the classroom. We know that when kids are more physically active, they
tend to perform better in schools, test scores go up, there is less
disciplinary programs, graduation rates go up, and their overall health
improves--all worthy goals that we need to be encouraging and
supporting more of throughout the Nation.
But today, only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle
schools, 2 percent of high schools even provide daily physical
education in their schools. Twenty-two percent of schools don't require
students to take physical education at all, and that number is growing.
Sixty-two percent of children don't receive any physical activity
outside of school hours, and schools are providing less and fewer
physical activity opportunities.
What FIT Kids will do is work to ensure that kids are active during
the school day and are taught from an early age the benefits of living
an active and healthy lifestyle. The bill will have schools make
information available to parents and communities about the type of
physical education being provided to students for each grade in
relation to the recommended amounts established by the CDC, as well as
information on the importance of living healthy and active lifestyles.
It will enact a National Resources Council study through the National
Academy of Sciences to figure out the best way to incorporate physical
activity in the school day and study the relationship between physical
activity and cognitive development and academic achievement where there
is a dearth of research being provided today. And it will make
available best practices for innovative and successful physical
education programs and policies at the State and local levels so
schools and school districts are not being asked to recreate the wheel
trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. There are many model
programs that already exist that we can help share through the modeling
of best practices and get that information out to empower more schools
and therefore more families.
Ultimately, and I would agree with my friend from Utah, it really
does come down to personal responsibility, for us to take more personal
control over our own healthy lifestyle decisions. We all know what we
all need to be doing a better job of--eating healthier, exercising
more, not smoking, and especially for us parents, to work much closer
and earlier with our children at the earliest possible age to help them
develop the good lifestyle decisions that will continue throughout
their life. And that will mean, from time to time, unplugging them from
the technology that so many of our kids are addicted to. I have two
little boys at home myself.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 1 additional
minute.
Mr. KIND. I know the power that technology holds over our kids today
from XBoxes and TiVos and cell phones and BlackBerrys and all, but it
is also leading to a more sedentary lifestyle, increasing the childhood
obesity epidemic. It is up to us parents working in the home, providing
a good model of care and working with our kids to establish these good
practices.
Again, I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Wamp and Mr. Inslee, for
being original sponsors of the legislation, the gentlelady from
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), who is also a cosponsor of this bill. I want
to thank Chairman Miller and the members of the Education and Labor
Committee for the hearings and the attention brought to it. I also want
to thank the over 50 organizations that have endorsed this legislation,
such as the American Heart Association, the NFL Players Association
with their Play 60 campaign, the National Association of Sport and
Physical Education, the American Diabetes Association, the Sporting
Goods Manufacturers Association; the first lady, Michele Obama, along
with the President, that has elevated the cause of children's health to
new levels and new attention in this country; my own staff person,
Shannon Glynn, who has worked tirelessly on this bill; and not least,
Richard Simmons, who has been a tireless advocate promoting FIT Kids
throughout the Nation, testifying here in Congress, appearing before
press conferences, on Jay Leno, on David Letterman, and visiting
hundreds and hundreds of schools every year for his life mission of
promoting healthy living habits for not just adults, but especially the
children in our lives. I thank Richard Simmons for his leadership and
his tireless advocacy on FIT Kids.
I ask my colleagues to support it. It's the right thing to do, it's
the right step, more needs to be done. This is a good place to start.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1585, the Fitness
Integrated with Teaching Kids Act, or the FIT Kids Act. I want to thank
my good friends, Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin and Congressman Zach
Wamp of Tennessee, for sponsoring this piece of legislation and for
their tireless work to reduce childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity is an issue that has now reached epidemic
proportions in the United States. In 2008, 17 percent of children
between the ages of 2 and 19 were obese and approximately 70 to 80
percent of overweight or obese children remain obese in adulthood.
Unfortunately, these obese children are more likely to develop diseases
such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
As we all know, both diet and exercise are important to the
maintenance of a healthy weight. Unfortunately, most of today's
children live sedentary lifestyles; in fact, less than one-third of
high school students currently meet recommended levels of physical
activity. The FIT Kids Act requires States and localities to provide
information to parents and families on the importance of a healthy
lifestyle, including eating habits, physical education, and physical
activity. It does not require physical education in schools.
School districts would also collect information on how schools are
promoting good nutrition and physical activity, whether the school has
an age-appropriate physical education curriculum, the amount of time
that students spend in physical education, a description of the
facilities available for PE, and information on any local health and
wellness councils. And, finally, the bill would authorize the National
Research Council and the Department of Education to conduct two
important studies on physical activity.
As a cosponsor of H.R. 1585, I believe that physical education will
play an important role in attacking the childhood obesity crisis that
is negatively impacting our young people. And we will also learn, as we
are learning more about the brain, how PE in school really helps to
develop that brain.
{time} 1445
When I was in the Illinois General Assembly, I worked really hard to
ensure that the schools in the State of Illinois had access to daily
physical education. I am proud to say that Illinois still has a
mandatory PE requirement for all elementary and secondary students in
school, and it really is the only State that has mandatory PE.
I have also had the privilege of working with the local Naperville,
Illinois, chapter of the nonprofit organization PE4life, whose mission
it is to inspire
[[Page H2762]]
active, healthy living by advancing the development of daily health-
and wellness-based physical education programs for all children, not
just for those who are athletically inclined.
Now, I went over there, and I rode a bicycle, racing against these
kids--the kind of bicycles where you see this road before you, and
you've got to stay on it, and these kids are whipping along, and I'm
falling off the edge of the road; but this is the kind of thing that's
fun for kids to do in order to learn a healthy lifestyle.
The other thing that something like PE4life does is it tracks their
fitness from the time they get on those bicycles in September to the
time they get off a lot of these machines in order to see how they have
become personally more fit, and it inspires them to care about their
nutrition and everything. So it is my hope that other States will
follow Illinois' lead by making physical education a priority in all of
their schools.
So, once again, I want to highlight the excellent work of Congressman
Kind and Congressman Wamp on this important piece of legislation, and I
hope that we will begin the work of dramatically reducing childhood
obesity.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1585, the FIT Kids Act,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, again, I am very happy to join the First
Lady in encouraging awareness of the importance of physical education
in our schools. I ask all of our colleagues to join us in supporting
H.R. 1585, as amended.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1585, the
``Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act.'' This legislation will
help combat the obesity epidemic facing our youth by promoting physical
education for students by providing grants to schools, requiring State
and local officials to report the progress on these initiatives, and
improving teacher training.
Let me be frank, we are facing a childhood obesity epidemic in our
country. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control found that obesity
rate for children ages 12 to 19 is 17.6 percent and we can not allow
this to continue. Today's legislation is a first step in correcting
this disturbing trend by acknowledging that the whole community must
actively participate in promoting healthy lifestyles for children.
First, it requires all schools, districts and States to report on
quantity and quality of physical education. In addition, grants are
provided to support school counseling and community learning centers in
order to boost children's nutritional and physical education. It also
revises the professional development program for teachers and
principals to include training for physical and health education.
Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, this Congress passed historic
health care reform legislation. The new law will change the lives of
millions of Americans who could not get access to health care. While I
believe this was a necessary law, we must also provide our children
with the resources to live long and healthy lives. I urge my colleagues
to support the bill.
Mr. SABLAN. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1585, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to increase awareness
of physical activity opportunities at school, and for other
purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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