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2015 SESSION

15101444D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 588
Offered January 14, 2015
Prefiled January 12, 2015
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study childhood obesity in Virginia's public schools. Report.
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Patron-- McQuinn
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health found that 29.8 percent of children in Virginia ages 10 through 17 were overweight or obese; and

WHEREAS, childhood obesity has been linked to Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and increased risk of health problems in adulthood; and

WHEREAS, obese children are more likely to become obese adults; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health care costs for obesity-related morbidity may soon approach $147 billion per year in the United States;

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 637 (2007) established a Joint Subcommittee to Study Childhood Obesity in Virginia's Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee recommended requiring 150 minutes of physical activity per week for students in all grades; and

WHEREAS, this recommendation has not been implemented on a statewide level; and

WHEREAS, childhood obesity remains a problem in the Commonwealth, and a review of efforts by the Commonwealth since 2007, including data on existing prevention programs and other successful obesity prevention programs would help guide future policy decisions in combating this problem; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study childhood obesity in Virginia's public schools. The joint subcommittee shall have a total membership of 13 members, who shall consist of eight legislative members, two nonlegislative citizen members, and three ex officio members. Members shall be appointed as follows: five members of the House of Delegates to be 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 be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; two nonlegislative citizen members who shall be employees of the Department of Education to be to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates upon consideration of the recommendation of the Governor, if any; and one nonlegislative citizen member who shall be an employee of the State Department of Health to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules upon consideration of the recommendation of the Governor, if any. The Lieutenant Governor or his designee, the Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee, and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources or his designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the joint subcommittee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 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 ascertain methods of combating childhood obesity in Virginia's public schools; examine the relationship between the health and physical education curricula; and examine the incidence of overweight and obese students in the public schools. Further, the joint subcommittee shall examine methods to increase parental involvement and education to ensure proper nutrition of children and survey other states to determine practices that have been useful in combating childhood obesity. The joint subcommittee shall also gather data on programs implemented by local school divisions in the Commonwealth, as well as programs in other states, and evaluate their effectiveness in 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 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 be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Technical assistance shall be provided by the Department of Education and the State Department of Health.

The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2015 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $15,040 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, 2015, 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 2016 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 the 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 2015 interim.