I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1572 

To prohibit the use of Federal money for print, radio, television or any 

other media advertisement, campaign, or form of publicity against the 

use of a food or beverage that is lawfully marketed under the Federal 

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2013 

Mr. SCHOCK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of Federal money for print, radio, television or any other media advertisement, campaign, or 

form of publicity against the use of a food or beverage 

that is lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, 

and Cosmetic Act. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stopping Taxpayer 

5 Outlays for Propaganda Act’’ or the ‘‘STOP Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1572 IH

1 (1) According to a study from Education Week 

2 and the Journal of the American Medical Associa3 tion fewer than 4 in 10 elementary-aged children 

4 achieved the recommended guidelines for physical 

5 activity (60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous 

6 activity) and television viewing (less than 2 hours 

7 per day of television screen time). As children get 

8 older, their prevalence of sedentary behavior in9 creased. 

10 (2) During the 1950s, the United States began 

11 experiencing a physical inactivity crisis. The issue 

12 garnered sufficient attention that the Eisenhower 

13 Administration expressed concern about the United 

14 States meeting its Cold War military manpower 

15 needs. In response, the President’s Council on Phys16 ical Fitness and Sports was established in 1956 

17 under the name of the ‘‘President’s Council on 

18 Youth Fitness’’. Today, only one state (Illinois) re19 quires daily P.E. for grades K–12. 

20 (3) A 2009 study published in a supplement to 

21 the International Journal of Obesity found no asso22 ciation between particular segments of the diet and 

23 subsequent weight gain. Another key point from the 

24 study is that obesity is a complex, multifactorial 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1572 IH

1 issue that can be caused in part by genetic suscepti2 bility, behavior, and level of physical activity. 

3 (4) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre4 vention states the fundamental rule of weight man5 agement is to consume less calories than one ex6 pends. Studies have shown one way to limit the 

7 number of calories a person consumes is by control8 ling portion size. 

9 (5) According to Time’s Health and Family, 

10 foods that are not inherently healthy can still be 

11 eaten, but they should only be consumed in modera12 tion. A 1999 study found that ‘‘flexible dieting’’ was 

13 associated with less overeating and lower body 

14 weight then ‘‘strict dieting.’’ 

15 (6) The correlation between physical activity 

16 and longevity is well documented. According to ‘‘Ex17 ercise is Medicine’’, sponsored by the American Col18 lege of Sports Medicine, regular, moderate physical 

19 activity reduces the risk of heart disease by 40 per20 cent, lowers the risk of stroke by 27 percent, reduces 

21 the incidence of high blood pressure by almost 50 

22 percent, reduces the incidence of diabetes by 50 per23 cent, can reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent 

24 breast cancer by almost 50 percent, can lower the 

25 risk of colon cancer by over 60 percent, can reduce 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1572 IH

1 the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease by one 

2 third, and can decrease depression as effectively as 

3 medications or behavioral therapy. 

4 (7) A 2005 review published in Obesity Reviews 

5 found that increasing physical activity participation 

6 and decreasing television viewing should be the focus 

7 of strategies aimed at preventing and treating over8 weight and obesity in youth. The authors compared 

9 estimates of the prevalence of overweight among 

10 school-aged youth in 34 countries and examined as11 sociations between overweight and selected dietary 

12 and physical activity patterns. 

13 (8) According to Full Service Restaurant Maga14 zine, several chain restaurants now offer their cus15 tomers the option of smaller portions of customer fa16 vorites. T.G.I. Friday’s, for example, offers the 

17 ‘‘Right Portion, Right Price’’ menu while California 

18 Pizza Kitchen has a ‘‘Smaller Cravings’’ program. 

19 (9) As told by the New York Times, McDon20 ald’s restaurants in September 2012 began posting 

21 calorie information on the large menus inside their 

22 restaurants. McDonald’s also lists items that have 

23 400 calories or less in its ‘‘Favorites Under 400’’ 

24 menu. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1572 IH

1 (10) According to Reuters, in 2010, Panera 

2 Bread became the first national restaurant chain to 

3 voluntarily post calorie information on their menus. 

4 Subway restaurants have also voluntarily made their 

5 calorie information accessible to the public. 

6 (11) Reported by the New York Times, non-al7 coholic beverage companies such as PepsiCo, Coca8 Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple, and Sunny D are revamp9 ing vending offerings and posting caloric information 

10 on the front of every can, bottle, and pack. In addi11 tion, these companies have removed full-calorie soft 

12 drinks from the nation’s schools and continue to 

13 provide consumers with calorie information, a vari14 ety of choices, and smaller portions. 

15 SEC. 3. FUNDING RESTRICTION. 

16 No part of any appropriation contained in any Act 

17 may be used for print, radio, television or any other media 

18 advertisement, campaign, or form of publicity against the 

19 use of a food or non-alcoholic beverage that is lawfully 

20 marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 

21 Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.). 

Æ 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS