III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 405 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Received 

OCTOBER 2 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the first full week of April as ‘‘National 

Workplace Wellness Week’’. 

Whereas comprehensive, culturally sensitive health promotion 

within the workplace is essential to maintain and improve 

United States workers’ health, as a significant part of a 

working citizen’s day is spent at work; 

Whereas employees who improve their health reduce their 

probability of chronic health conditions, lower their outof-pocket medical and pharmaceutical costs, 


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reduce pain and suffering, have greater levels of energy 

and vitality, and experience increased satisfaction with 

their lives and jobs; 

Whereas health care costs in the United States doubled from 

1990 to 2001 and are expected to double again by 2012; 

Whereas employee health benefits are the fastest growing 

labor cost component for employers, and pose a serious 

and growing challenge for U.S. business competitiveness; 

Whereas business leaders are struggling to find strategies to 

help reduce the direct costs of employer-provided health 

care as well as the indirect costs associated with higher 

rates of absenteeism, presenteeism, disability, and injury; 

Whereas an effective strategy to address the primary driver 

of soaring health care costs requires an investment in 

prevention; 

Whereas some employers who invest in health promotion and 

disease prevention have achieved rates of return on investment ranging from $3 to $15 for each dollar invested, as well as an average 28-percent reduction in sick 

leave absenteeism, an average 26-percent reduction in 

health care costs, and an average 30-percent reduction in 

workers’ compensation and disability management claims 

costs; 

Whereas the Healthy People 2010 national objectives for the 

United States include the workplace health related goal 

that at least three-quarters of United States employers, 

regardless of size, voluntarily will offer a 5-element comprehensive employee health promotion program that includes— 

(1) health education and programming, which focuses on skill development and lifestyle behavior change 


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along with information dissemination and awareness 

building, preferably tailored to employees’ interests and 

needs; 

(2) supportive social and physical environments, including an organization’s expectations regarding healthy 

behaviors, and implementation of policies that promote 

health and reduce risk of disease; 

(3) integration of the worksite program into the organization’s structure; 

(4) linkage to related programs like employee assistance programs (EAPs) and programs to help employees 

balance work and family; and 

(5) screening programs, ideally linked to medical 

care to ensure follow up and appropriate treatment as 

necessary; 

Whereas employers should be encouraged to invest in the 

health of employees by implementing comprehensive 

worksite health promotion programs that will help 

achieve our national Healthy People 2010 objectives; 

Whereas business leaders that have made a healthy workforce 

a part of their core business strategy should be encouraged to share information and resources to educate their 

peers on the issue of employee health management 

through initiatives such as the Leading by Example 

CEO-to-CEO Roundtable on Workforce Health and the 

United States Workplace Wellness Alliance; 

Whereas employers that provide health care coverage for 

more than 177,000,000 United States citizens have the 

potential to exert transformative leadership on this issue 

by increasing the number, quality, and types of health 

promotion programs and policies at worksites across the 

Nation; 


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Whereas for workplace wellness efforts to reach their full potential, CEOs of major corporations, company presidents 

of small enterprises, and State Governors should be encouraged to make worksite health promotion a priority; 

and 

Whereas Congress supports the National Worksite Health 

Promotion goal as stated in Healthy People 2010 and encourages public employers to increase their awareness of 

the value of corporate investments in employee health 

management during the first full week of April each year: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) supports the goals and ideals of a National 

4 Workplace Wellness Week and calls on private and 

5 public employers to voluntarily implement worksite 

6 health promotion programs to help maximize em7 ployees health, well-being, and lower health care 

8 costs; and 

9 (2) requests that the President issue a procla10 mation calling upon the people of the United States 


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1 and interested organizations to observe such a week 

2 with appropriate ceremonies and activities. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 26, 

2008. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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