[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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