HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 73 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 4, 2008 Urging every local school division in the Commonwealth to implement the nutrition and physical activity standards of the Governor's Nutrition and Physical Activity Award Program. ---------- Patron-- O'Bannon ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

WHEREAS, the Governor's Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard provides nutrition and physical activity best practices for schools to use as benchmarks and establishes a reward system for public schools that implement the best practices; and

WHEREAS, the Program is part of the Healthy Virginians Initiative and according to a Governor's News Release in May 2007, since the Program's launch in 2005, more than 500 schools have participated and more than 31 schools have earned awards; and

WHEREAS, 20 schools across the Commonwealth have qualified for either a gold, silver, or bronze award in 2007 for their promotion of wellness for students; and

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution 637 established the joint subcommittee to study childhood obesity in Virginia's public schools and the joint subcommittee in its final meeting during the 2007 interim recommended that every public school in the Commonwealth participate in the Governor's Nutrition and Physical Activity Award Program and implement the program's best practices; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That every local school division in the Commonwealth be urged to implement the nutrition and physical activity standards of the Governor's Nutrition and Physical Activity Award Program; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Division Superintendent of every local school division in the Commonwealth, requesting that the Division Superintendents further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.