Members of the athletic, fitness and sporting goods industries plan to practice what they preach during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Almost 150 leaders from various organizations will meet with more than 120 members of U.S. Congress and their staff members to lobby support for the Physical Education Program (PEP) bill and the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. Meanwhile, other supporters will stage a simulated physical education class inside the U.S. Capitol building to showcase how diverse and dynamic today's P.E. classes have become.
It's all part of the 12th National Health Through Fitness Day - sponsored by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. The goal: to explain and demonstrate why endangered federal funding of P.E. programs is vital and must continue.
Executives from HOPSports (provider of interactive P.E. training systems) and Chicago Bulls mascot Benny the Bull will work with local children from public schools in Washington, D.C., to showcase new types of fitness routines. "It helps our lobby day effort to have a group of children actually demonstrating how a modern P.E. class is conducted," says Bill Sells, SGMA's vice president of government relations. "For a congressman to have the chance to get a first-hand look at what the federal funds are being used to support, it helps our lobby day effort. It's one thing to describe how a program will work; it's entirely different to get a first-hand look at it."
The Carol M. White PEP bill funds a competitive grant program to give school districts and community-based organizations resources to provide students with quality, innovative physical education. National Health Through Fitness Day participants will ask Congress to continue funding that program - the only federal funding mechanism dedicated to P.E. programming, equipment and training - for fiscal year 2012. To date, more than $600 million in PEP grants have been distributed across the country by the U.S. Department of Education, but SGMA reports that the U.S. House of Representatives did not include any PEP grant money in its version of the 2012 fiscal year budget.
The PHIT Act, meanwhile, would promote improved health through increased physical activity by making it more affordable to engage in sports, fitness and recreation activities through the use of tax incentives. Americans could invest up to $2,000 annually to reimburse physical activity costs using PHIT-designated contributions to existing pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Medical Savings Accounts (MSA), and other medical reimbursement arrangements. PHIT would only expand the eligible expenses; it would not increase contribution limits to these accounts, SGMA officials say. Once an individual or family reaches the 7.5 percent threshold on income spent for qualified medical expenses, they could deduct physical activity expenses directly.
Sports celebrities that are expected to participate in Wednesday's lobbying efforts include former NFL running back and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam and U.S. Olympic softball gold medalists Michele Smith and Natasha Watley.
For more details on National Health Through Fitness Day, including a schedule of events and lists of sponsors and participants, click here.
