I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4536
To provide grants to local educational agencies to initiate, expand, or improve
physical education programs for students.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 24, 2000
Mr. CROWLEY (for himself, Mr. SWEENEY, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. RO-
MERO-BARCELO´, Mr. JOHN, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. BALDACCI, Mr.
WALSH, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut, Mr. TANNER, Mr.
HINCHEY, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico,
Mr. WISE, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. FROST) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
A BILL
To provide grants to local educational agencies to initiate,
expand, or improve physical education programs for students.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR PROGRESS.
Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8001 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘PART L—PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR PROGRESS
‘‘SEC. 10999A. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Physical Education
for Progress Act’.
‘‘SEC. 10999B. PURPOSE.
‘‘The purpose of this part is to award grants and con-
tracts to local educational agencies to enable the local edu-
cational agencies to initiate, expand, and improve physical
education programs for all kindergarten through 12th
grade students.
‘‘SEC. 10999C. FINDINGS.
‘‘Congress makes the following findings:
‘‘(1) Physical education is essential to the devel-
opment of growing children.
‘‘(2) Physical education helps improve the over-
all health of children by improving their cardio-
vascular endurance, muscular strength and power,
and flexibility, and by enhancing weight regulation,
bone development, posture, skillful moving, active
lifestyle habits, and constructive use of leisure time.
‘‘(3) Physical education helps improve the self
esteem, interpersonal relationships, responsible be-
havior, and independence of children.
‘‘(4) Children who participate in high quality
daily physical education programs tend to be more
healthy and physically fit.
‘‘(5) The percentage of young people who are
overweight has more than doubled in the 30 years
preceding 1999.
‘‘(6) Low levels of activity contribute to the
high prevalence of obesity among children in the
United States.
‘‘(7) Obesity related diseases cost the United
States economy more than $100,000,000,000 every
year.
‘‘(8) Inactivity and poor diet cause at least
300,000 deaths a year in the United States.
‘‘(9) Physically fit adults have significantly re-
duced risk factors for heart attacks and stroke.
‘‘(10) Children are not as active as they should
be and fewer than 1 in 4 children get 20 minutes
of vigorous activity every day of the week.
‘‘(11) The Surgeon General’s 1996 Report on
Physical Activity and Health, and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, recommend daily
physical education for all students in kindergarten
through grade 12.
‘‘(12) Twelve years after Congress passed
House Concurrent Resolution 97, 100th Congress,
agreed to December 11, 1987, encouraging State
and local governments and local educational agencies
to provide high quality daily physical education pro-
grams for all children in kindergarten through grade
12, little progress has been made.
‘‘(13) Every student in our Nation’s schools,
from kindergarten through grade 12, should have
the opportunity to participate in quality physical
education. It is the unique role of quality physical
education programs to develop the health-related fit-
ness, physical competence, and cognitive under-
standing about physical activity for all students so
that the students can adopt healthy and physically
active lifestyles.
‘‘(14) Every student in our Nation’s schools
should have the opportunity to achieve the goals es-
tablished by Healthy People 2000 and Healthy Peo-
ple 2010.
‘‘SEC. 10999D. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
‘‘The Secretary is authorized to award grants to, and
enter into contracts with, local educational agencies to pay
the Federal share of the costs of initiating, expanding, and
improving physical education programs for kindergarten
through grade 12 students by—
‘‘(1) providing equipment and support to enable
students to actively participate in physical education
activities;
‘‘(2) developing or enhancing physical education
curricula to meet national goals for physical edu-
cation developed by the Secretary in consultation
with the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education; and
‘‘(3) providing funds for staff and teacher
training and education.
‘‘SEC. 10999E. APPLICATIONS; PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
‘‘(a) APPLICATIONS.—Each local educational agency
desiring a grant or contract under this part shall submit
to the Secretary an application that contains a plan to
initiate, expand, or improve physical education programs
in the schools served by the agency in order to make
progress toward meeting—
‘‘(1) the goals described in subsection (b); or
‘‘(2) State standards for physical education.
‘‘(b) GOALS.—The goals referred to in subsection (a)
are as follows:
‘‘(1) Physical education programs shall facili-
tate achievement of the national goals for physical
education described in section 10999D(2), and the
curriculum of the programs may provide—
‘‘(A) fitness education and assessment to
help children understand, improve, or maintain
their physical well-being;
‘‘(B) instruction in a variety of motor
skills and physical activities designed to en-
hance the physical, mental, and social or emo-
tional development of every child;
‘‘(C) development of cognitive concepts
about motor skill and physical fitness that sup-
port a lifelong healthy lifestyle;
‘‘(D) opportunities to develop positive so-
cial and cooperative skills through physical ac-
tivity participation; and
‘‘(E) instruction in healthy eating habits
and good nutrition.
‘‘(2) Teachers of physical education shall be af-
forded the opportunity for professional development
to stay abreast of the latest research, issues, and
trends in the field of physical education.
‘‘(c) SPECIAL RULE.—For the purpose of this part,
extracurricular activities such as team sports and Reserve
Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program activities shall
not be considered as part of the curriculum of a physical
education program assisted under this part.
‘‘SEC. 10999F. PROPORTIONALITY.
‘‘The Secretary shall ensure that grants awarded and
contracts entered into under this part shall be equitably
distributed between local educational agencies serving
urban and rural areas, and between local educational
agencies serving large and small numbers of students.
‘‘SEC. 10999G. PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND HOME-
SCHOOLED STUDENTS.
‘‘An application for funds under this part, consistent
with the number of home-schooled children or children en-
rolled in private elementary schools, middle schools, and
secondary schools located in the school district of a local
educational agency, may provide for the participation of
such children and their teachers in the activities assisted
under this part.
‘‘SEC. 10999H. REPORT REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED FUND-
ING.
‘‘As a condition to continue to receive grant or con-
tract funding after the first year of a multiyear grant or
contract under this part, the administrator of the grant
or contract for the local educational agency shall submit
to the Secretary an annual report that describes the activi-
ties conducted during the preceding year and dem-
onstrates that progress has been made toward achieving
goals described in section 10999E(b) or meeting State
standards for physical education.
‘‘SEC. 10999I. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
‘‘The Secretary shall submit a report to Congress not
later than June 1, 2003, that describes the programs as-
sisted under this part, documents the success of such pro-
grams in improving physical fitness, and makes such rec-
ommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate for
the continuation and improvement of the programs as-
sisted under this part.
‘‘SEC. 10999J. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
‘‘Not more than 5 percent of the grant or contract
funds made available to a local educational agency under
this part for any fiscal year may be used for administra-
tive costs.
‘‘SEC. 10999K. FEDERAL SHARE; SUPPLEMENT NOT SUP-
PLANT.
‘‘(a) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share under
this part may not exceed—
‘‘(1) 90 percent of the total cost of a project for
the first year for which the project receives assist-
ance under this part; and
‘‘(2) 75 percent of such cost for the second and
each subsequent such year.
‘‘(b) SUPPLEMENT
NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made
available under this part shall be used to supplement and
not supplant other Federal, State, and local funds avail-
able for physical education activities.
‘‘SEC. 10999L. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘There 
are 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated
$30,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $70,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001, and $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2002 through 2004, to carry out this part. Such funds
shall remain available until expended.’’.
Æ