SRC-TJG S.C.R. 49 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.C.R. 49
78R14639 CME-DBy: Lucio
Administration
5/8/2003
As Filed


DIGEST

Childhood and adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions among
American youth; the American Obesity Association (AOA) revealed in 2000
that the incidence of obesity in children and adolescents had quadrupled
since 1971, with 15.3 percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 15.5 percent of
adolescents ages 12 to 19 identified as obese.  Even more alarming is the
increasing prevalence of overweight among the nation's children and
adolescents, which is commonly an indicator of potential health problems
as an adult; according to the same study by the AOA, approximately 30.3
percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 30.4 percent of adolescents ages 12
to 19 are overweight, and overweight children aged 10 to 14 with at least
one overweight or obese parent were reported to have a 79 percent
likelihood of overweight persisting into adulthood. The potential lifelong
consequences of this epidemic are evidenced by the fact that overweight
and obese children are at higher risk for serious long-term health
problems, including Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke,
hypertension, asthma, orthopedic complications, sleep apnea, gall bladder
disease, and certain cancers; the Texas Department of Health reports that
62.4 percent of all deaths in Texas result from four of these chronic
diseases--heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes--each of which can
be prevented through healthy habits developed in childhood.  The school
environment plays a critical role in establishing a child's nutritional
regimen and meeting a child's dietary needs; indeed, a child who eats a
school breakfast and lunch that meet the nutritional standards established
by the United States Department of Agriculture for the national school
breakfast and national school lunch programs receives 60 percent of the
child's average daily nutritional needs.  Overweight and obesity are
far-reaching problems not unique to any one racial, ethnic, or
socioeconomic group; the Texas Legislature has long recognized that the
health of the state of Texas depends on the health of its children and
this latest crisis merits its utmost attention. 
 
PURPOSE 

Provides that the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby request
the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to
create a joint interim committee to study nutrition in public schools,
obesity- and nutrition-related diseases, a universal breakfast and lunch
program, and competitive food and vending machine contracts, revenues, and
accountability of revenues.  Provides that the interim committee be
composed of the following members:  the commissioner of education, the
commissioner of health, the commissioner of agriculture, three members of
the senate, appointed by the lieutenant governor, and three members of the
house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house.  Provides
that the governor be invited to appoint members to the committee with the
request that such appointees include the following:  one member who is a
physician who provides health services to school-aged children, one member
who has expertise in nutrition, one member who is a parent of a
school-aged child, and one member who is a superintendent of schools or
school principal. Provides that the interim committee hold hearings
throughout the state during the interim of the 78th Legislature to
determine the nutritional content and quality of foods and beverages
served to public school children, including food service meals, a la carte
foods, and competitive foods and vending machines; evaluate the short- and
long-term financial, psychological, and physiological impact of obesity in
public school children; assess the academic, emotional, and health value
of a universal breakfast and lunch program by evaluating schoolchildren
from school districts that provide everyone a free or reduced-price
breakfast and lunch; evaluate school contracts relating to competitive
food products and vending machines to determine economic and other impacts
of potential conflicts of interest; the length of contracts; advertising
and marketing of competitive  food products; revenues realized by schools
and school districts arising from the sale of competitive food products;
officials in charge of receiving and disbursing revenue and the accounting
of that revenue; and losses sustained by each school district's food
service program to competitive foods; and consult with the School Health
Advisory Council to carry out its duties. Provides that the committee's
proceedings and operations be governed by such general rules and policies
for joint interim committees as the 78th Legislature may adopt and that
such rules and policies supersede the provisions of this resolution to the
extent of any conflict.  Provides that the interim committee submit a full
report, including findings and recommendations to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house not later than October
1, 2004.