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2008 SESSION

084013664
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 74
Offered January 9, 2008
Prefiled January 4, 2008
Continuing the Joint Subcommittee to Study Childhood Obesity in Virginia's Public Schools. Report.
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Patron-- O'Bannon
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 637 (2007) established the Joint Subcommittee to Study Childhood Obesity in Virginia's Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee held four meetings during the 2007 interim and heard from local school divisions, nonprofit organizations, as well as private industry representatives on the growing problem of childhood obesity; and

WHEREAS, several local school divisions throughout the Commonwealth have already implemented programs designed to increase nutritional awareness and physical activity in their students; and

WHEREAS, many of these programs are just beginning to gather meaningful data on their success in combating childhood obesity; and

WHEREAS, the Governor recently hosted a Healthy Students Summit that brought local school division representatives and their local health department counterparts together, often for the first time, to discuss addressing this problem at the local level; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee has endorsed legislation to create a database allowing local school divisions and the Department of Health to share information on successful programs they have implemented with other school divisions; and

WHEREAS, there is a lack of uniformity in addressing this program at the state level, with some school divisions making great strides, and others lagging behind for various reasons; and

WHEREAS, a further review of data on existing programs, and gathering of information that has not yet been made available on a statewide basis would help guide future policy decisions in combating this problem; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Joint Subcommittee to Study Childhood Obesity in Virginia's Public Schools be continued. The joint subcommittee shall have a total membership of 13 members that shall consist of five members of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; three members of the Senate to appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; one nonlegislative citizen member who is an employee of the Department of Education appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates upon consideration of the recommendation of the Governor, if any; one nonlegislative citizen member who is an employee of the Department of Health appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules upon consideration of the recommendation of the Governor, if any; and the Lieutenant Governor or his designee, the Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee, and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources or her designee to serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the joint subcommittee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The current members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall be subject to reappointment. The current members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules shall continue to serve until replaced. Vacancies shall be filled by the original appointing authority. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of attending meetings. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.

In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall continue to examine the relationship between the health and physical education curriculum; public health policies; social, economic, and cultural influences; media messages; and the incidence of overweight and obese students in the public schools, in an effort to ascertain methods of combating childhood obesity in the public schools. The joint subcommittee shall also continue to gather data on programs implemented by local school divisions in the Commonwealth, as well as programs in other states, and their effectiveness at decreasing the rates of obesity in school-age children and increasing parental involvement and education to ensure proper nutrition of children.

Administrative staff support shall continue to be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall continue to be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Technical assistance shall continue to be provided by Department of Education and the Department of Health. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2008 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $8,000 without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required.

No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2008, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2009 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2008 interim.