To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to each State health department for community action teams to promote healthier lifestyles through physical activity and good nutrition and thereby prevent obesity and chronic disease, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Activity for Lifelong Energy 
Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Obesity in the United States has reached crisis 
        proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention (CDC), more than a third of all American adults are 
        now overweight. Of even greater concern, the percentage of 
        children and adolescents who are overweight leaped to 16 
        percent in 2006, a percentage which has more than doubled since 
        1980.
            (2) Overweight adolescents are likely to become overweight 
        adults, at risk of developing obesity-related, life-threatening 
        diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart 
        disease, arthritis, and breathing problems. They will join an 
        adult population struggling with a staggering 61 percent 
        overweight rate. Not only will the Nation's children face life-
        threatening diseases at younger ages, they will face academic 
        challenges due to poor health behaviors--resulting in even 
        greater risk to their future health and earning and the 
        Nation's economic growth and worldwide competition.
            (3) Obesity and insufficient physical activity are not 
        merely personal issues. Rather, these are public health 
        problems with wide-ranging implications for the Nation's 
        economy and quality of life. Research shows that a significant 
        community-based response can halt the rising tide, and a 
        comprehensive, multi tiered approach shows the greatest promise 
        of success and sustainability. A program thrives when it works 
        for change not only on the individual level, but also within 
        communities and across a broad spectrum of society. In 
        addition, it is vitally important to understand the cultural 
        context of each community and to partner with them in building 
        relevant and meaningful programs.
            (4) State chronic disease programs have depended heavily 
        upon the CDC for funding to address obesity. The obesity 
        epidemic has outpaced Federal support, contributing to the 
        escalating rise of obesity in an increasingly younger 
        population. Clearly the obesity epidemic is also affecting the 
        preparedness of the United States. Health and fitness have 
        always been a critical concern to the Nation's military, 
        police, fire departments, and first responders.
            (5) Military sources state that 80 percent of recruits who 
        exceed the military weight-for-height standards at entry leave 
        the military before they complete their first term of 
        enlistment. This in turn increases the cost of recruitment and 
        training. These issues threaten the long-term welfare and 
        readiness of United States military forces and associated 
        preparedness responders such as police, fire departments, and 
        first responders.
            (6) Obesity and overweight are not just a public health 
        issue, but also a national security issue. If the Nation's 
        society is not physically fit, we will not be able to defend 
        ourselves and the Nation's common interests.
            (7) This Act rises to the obesity challenge, with 
        innovative ways to help children and young adults be physically 
        active and eat more nutritiously.

SEC. 3. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND GOOD 
              NUTRITION AND PREVENT OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317S the following:

``SEC. 317T. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND 
              GOOD NUTRITION AND PREVENT OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE.

    ``(a) Grants.--For the purpose of enabling State health departments 
to maintain a community action team program described in subsection 
(d), the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) make an allotment each fiscal year for the health 
        department of each State in an amount determined under 
        subsection (c); and
            ``(2) make a grant to the health department of the 
        allotment if the health department submits an application in 
        accordance with subsection (f).
    ``(b) Implementation; Consultation.--The Secretary shall carry out 
this section--
            ``(1) acting through an appropriate agency or office of the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as the 
        National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health 
        Promotion; and
            ``(2) in consultation with appropriate nonprofit 
        organizations, such as the National Association of Chronic 
        Disease Directors.
    ``(c) Amount of Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        shall determine the amount of a grant under this section to a 
        State health department for a fiscal year on a competitive 
        basis.
            ``(2) Program management.--The Secretary may not provide 
        more than $100,000 under this section for a fiscal year to any 
        State for management and administration of activities.
            ``(3) Community funding.--The Secretary shall provide a 
        minimum of $300,000 under this section to each State receiving 
        a grant under this section for the fiscal year involved.
    ``(d) Community Action Teams.--A funding agreement for a grant 
under this section is that the State health department involved will 
expend the grant only for the following:
            ``(1) The State health department will use the grant to 
        establish and implement community action teams.
            ``(2) Each such community action team--
                    ``(A) will work within the local community to 
                promote healthier lifestyles through physical activity 
                and good nutrition and thereby prevent obesity and 
                chronic disease; and
                    ``(B) will serve for a period of 3 years.
            ``(3) The State health department will maintain a total of 
        4 to 8 community action teams within the State in any given 
        fiscal year
            ``(4) At the end of the first 3-year period described in 
        paragraph (2)(B), and every 2 years thereafter, the State 
        health department will establish new community action teams in 
        communities which have not yet had such a team.
            ``(5) The State health department will provide technical 
        assistance to the community action teams.
    ``(e) Program Evaluation.--A funding agreement for a grant under 
this section is that the State health department involved, in 
collaboration with the Secretary, will collect data on the 
effectiveness of the department's community action team program under 
this section.
    ``(f) Application for Grant.--For purposes of subsection (a)(2), an 
application for a grant under this section is in accordance with this 
subsection if the application--
            ``(1) contains each funding agreement required by this 
        section; and
            ``(2) is in such form, is submitted in such manner, and 
        contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the 
        Secretary may require.
    ``(g) National Activities.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) conduct training institutes to jump-start the work of 
        community action teams funded through this section;
            ``(2) provide such teams with access to national experts in 
        ongoing community change; and
            ``(3) disseminate information about successes achieved 
        through this section to communities across the Nation.
    ``(h) Definition.--In this section, the term `State' means the 
several States and the District of Columbia.
    ``(i) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        section, there is authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013, of which--
                    ``(A) $26,450,000 shall be made available to State 
                health departments through grants under this section, 
                of which--
                            ``(i) $21,350,000 shall be made available 
                        to community action teams; and
                            ``(ii) $5,100,000 shall be used by State 
                        health departments to administer their 
                        community action team programs, including 
                        through provision of technical assistance;
                    ``(B) $7,500,000 shall be available to the 
                Secretary to carry out subsection (g); and
                    ``(C) $6,050,000 shall be available to the 
                Secretary for management and evaluation.
            ``(2) Insufficient appropriations.--If the amount of funds 
        appropriated to carry out this section is less than $20,000,000 
        for any fiscal year, the Secretary, notwithstanding subsection 
        (a)(1), may choose to make grants under this section on a 
        competitive basis instead of making a grant to each State 
        health department that submits an application in accordance 
        with subsection (f); and''.

Summary: Healthy Activity for Lifelong Energy Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to enable state health departments to maintain community action teams to work within the local community to promote healthier lifestyles through physical activity and good nutrition and thereby prevent obesity and chronic disease. Requires such departments to collect data on the effectiveness of the community action team program.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct training institutes to jump-start the work of such teams; (2) provide the teams with access to national experts in ongoing community change; and (3) disseminate information about success achieved through the teams to communities across the nation.