Healthy Communities through Helping to Offer Incentives and Choices to Everyone in Society Act

Bill: 112-hr-6666
Sponsor: Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3]
Introduced: 2012-12-13 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural practices and innovations
Child care and development
Child health
Congressional oversight
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of the Interior
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Employee benefits and pensions
Food assistance and relief
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Fruit and vegetables
Government information and archives
Health care coverage and access
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Immigrant health and welfare
Income tax deductions
Indian social and development programs
Land use and conservation
Medical education
Medical research
Medicare
Minority health
Nutrition and diet
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pedestrians and bicycling
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Poverty and welfare assistance
Preschool education
Prescription drugs
Sports and recreation facilities
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Transportation programs funding
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: 
Healthy Communities through Helping to Offer Incentives and Choices to Everyone in Society Act - Expands coverage of obesity treatment under titles XVIII (Medicare), including part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
 
Sets forth requirements to expand training of health professionals and the community on treating and preventing obesity.
 
Requires activities to encourage physical activity, including the development of assessment tools on barriers in communities to physical activity, planning and implementing model communities of play that increase physical activity, the development of state and national strategies to encourage Americans to be physically active outdoors, and dissemination of best practices to encourage physical activity outdoors.
 
Sets forth requirements to address physical education in schools, including to: (1) issue guidelines for physical education in elementary and secondary schools; (2) revise the definition of &ldquo;core academic subject&rdquo; to include physical education; (3) issue physical activity guidelines for preschool children and recommend that each Head Start agency implement such guidelines; (4) promote healthy, active lifestyles by students within specified educational grant programs; and (5) revise the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of employees: (1) the value of any on-premises employer-provided athletic facility; and (2) fees, dues, or membership expenses paid to an athletic or fitness facility by an employer for its employees. Allows employers a tax deduction for fees, dues, or membership expenses paid to an athletic or fitness facility. Allows a medical care tax deduction for qualified sports and fitness expenses. 
 
 Revives a grant program for the administration of national or regional programs to provide instructional activities on a variety of sports for low-income youth.
 
Expands activities to educate consumers about nutrition, physical activity, and healthy lifestyles and to improve eating and physical habits. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to award grants to expand, establish, or maintain urban community gardens.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make grants to assist local planning decisions and policies that increase the access of individuals to physical activity.
 
Establishes a program to award grants for costs related to allowing the use of a school&rsquo;s facilities and equipment by people other than the school&rsquo;s students or staff.
 
Authorizes the collection and analysis of data on fitness, activity levels and nutrition. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
action_date: 2012-12-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Natural Resources, Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2012-12-13
text: Introduced in House