Leaders who understand the physiological and public health implications of lifestyle choices, including physical activity, are needed to help battle obesity, diabetes, mental health, and other chronic diseases. These leaders are found in state and local health departments, federal agencies, parks and recreation departments, non-profit and community health organizations, worksites and schools.

PAA recently hosted a webinar for a conversation with three professionals in the field to learn about their journey to physical activity and the critical role it plays in Public Health.

Over the past few weeks, the Congress and the Biden Administration have been embroiled in many different controversies regarding infrastructure funding, social spending, overall fiscal spending and the debt limit. Unfortunately, the physical activity guidelines legislation got pulled into the debate.

Earlier this year, the Senate passed by unanimous consent S. 1301, the Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act. The legislation would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish physical activity guidelines based on the latest scientific research every ten years. Once the bill was passed in the Senate, it was forwarded to the House for their consideration. However, in order to try and circumvent regular order in the Senate, House Democrat leadership decided to use S. 1301 as the vehicle to pass a debt limit suspension. They amended the bill by deleting the physical activity language and inserting the debt limit suspension language. Within 24 hours, the bill was amended, passed on the House floor and sent to the Senate for their consideration. The bill has since been amended and passed

by the Senate, passed again by the House and is now on its way for signature by President Biden.

What this means in the short run is that we no longer have a Senate-passed version of the physical activity guidelines bill. We are left with the House version which is H.R. 2094, the Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act. Having the Senate bill used as the debt limit vehicle means that we will have an added hurdle to get over in order to get the physical activity guidelines bill passed and signed into law. Once the House passes the legislation, it will be sent to the Senate for their consideration again and then, if there are no changes to the House-passed bill, it will be sent to President Biden for his signature. We need your help to get this bill passed in the House by contacting your member of Congress.

If you would like to contact your member of Congress to ask them to support the bill, please click here bill H.R.2094.