Senate File 79 



                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  BOLKCOM

                                       (COMPANION TO LSB 1642HH
                                        BY WESSEL=KROESCHELL)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to childhood obesity and foods and beverages sold
  2    and served on public school campuses, providing for a task
  3    force, and providing an effective date.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 1642XS 82
  6 kh/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.  The general assembly
  1  2 finds and declares as follows:
  1  3    1.  Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in Iowa
  1  4 and throughout the nation as declared by the surgeon general
  1  5 of the United States.  The percentage of overweight children
  1  6 has tripled in the last forty years from five percent to
  1  7 fifteen percent.
  1  8    2.  Obesity is the most common health problem facing
  1  9 children, according to the American academy of pediatrics.
  1 10 The centers for disease control and prevention of the United
  1 11 States department of health and human services finds that
  1 12 thirty=one percent of low=income children between two and five
  1 13 years of age in Iowa are overweight or at risk of becoming
  1 14 overweight.
  1 15    3.  Iowa's overweight children are at high risk for
  1 16 developing severe long=term health problems, including but not
  1 17 limited to type 2 diabetes, high blood lipids, high blood
  1 18 pressure, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, asthma, and
  1 19 orthopedic problems.  At current rates, one out of three
  1 20 children born today will develop diabetes.
  1 21    4.  Overweight children also are often affected by
  1 22 discrimination, psychological stress, and low self=esteem.
  1 23    5.  Twenty=five years ago, children drank twice as much
  1 24 milk as soda.  The situation is reversed today, with children
  1 25 drinking twice as much soda as milk.  Since milk is the
  1 26 principal source of calcium, this loss of calcium jeopardizes
  1 27 the forty percent peak bone mass accumulated during
  1 28 adolescence, leading to increased risks of fractures and
  1 29 osteoporosis.
  1 30    6.  Schools are a logical place to address the issues of
  1 31 overweight and health in children through promotion of healthy
  1 32 food and physical activity.
  1 33    7.  Increased emphasis on serving only healthy foods in
  1 34 Iowa public schools can decrease and prevent overweight and
  1 35 other diseases and improve the well=being of Iowa's children.
  2  1    8.  Encouraging Iowa's children to adopt healthy lifelong
  2  2 eating habits and physical activity can increase their
  2  3 productivity and reduce their risk of dying prematurely.
  2  4    Sec. 2.  HEALTH, FITNESS, AND NUTRITION TASK FORCE.
  2  5    1.  Consistent with the essential academic learning
  2  6 requirements for health and fitness, including nutrition, the
  2  7 department of education and the department of public health
  2  8 shall convene a task force including representatives from the
  2  9 Iowa dietetic association; the Iowa school nutrition directors
  2 10 association; the Iowa association of school boards; the Iowa
  2 11 medical association; the Iowa dental association; the Iowa
  2 12 association for health, physical education, recreation, and
  2 13 dance; the university of Iowa college of public health; and
  2 14 the Iowa state university extension service to develop a model
  2 15 policy regarding access to nutritious foods, opportunities for
  2 16 physical activity, and accurate education related to these
  2 17 topics.  The policy shall set a minimum standard for the
  2 18 nutritional content of foods and beverages sold or provided
  2 19 throughout the school day or sold in competition with the
  2 20 federal school food programs.
  2 21    2.  The department of education and the department of
  2 22 public health shall submit the model policy developed by the
  2 23 task force to the governor and the general assembly and shall
  2 24 post the model policy on their internet websites by January 1,
  2 25 2008.
  2 26    Sec. 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of
  2 27 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
  2 28                           EXPLANATION
  2 29    This bill states the findings and declarations of the
  2 30 general assembly regarding the epidemic of childhood obesity
  2 31 in Iowa, the related medical and emotional risks, and the
  2 32 logical role for schools in addressing the issues of
  2 33 overweight and health in children through healthy food and
  2 34 physical activity.
  2 35    The bill directs the department of education and the
  3  1 department of public health to convene a task force including
  3  2 representatives from the Iowa dietetic association; the Iowa
  3  3 school nutrition directors association; the Iowa association
  3  4 of school boards; the Iowa medical association; the Iowa
  3  5 dental association; the Iowa association for health, physical
  3  6 education, recreation, and dance; the university of Iowa
  3  7 college of public health; and the Iowa state university
  3  8 extension service to develop a model policy regarding access
  3  9 to nutritious foods, opportunities for physical activity, and
  3 10 accurate education related to these topics; which model policy
  3 11 sets a minimum standard for the nutritional content of foods
  3 12 and beverages sold or provided throughout the school day.
  3 13    The departments must submit the model policy to the
  3 14 governor and the general assembly and post the model policy on
  3 15 their internet websites by January 1, 2008.
  3 16    The bill takes effect upon enactment.
  3 17 LSB 1642XS 82
  3 18 kh:rj/sh/8