SLS 16RS-3381 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 134
BY SENATOR MORRELL
LEGIS POWERS/FUNCTIONS. Creates the Louisiana Workplace Wellness Study
Commission to study the importance of healthy vending on state-operated properties.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To create and provide for the Louisiana Workplace Wellness Study Commission to study
3 the importance of healthy vending on state-operated properties.
4 WHEREAS, over a third of Americans are obese, costing billions of dollars every
5 year; and
6 WHEREAS, being overweight is linked to high blood pressure, high blood
7 cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and gallbladder disease; and
8 WHEREAS, the leading causes of obesity and death are preventable or controllable
9 through lifestyle and environment changes; and
10 WHEREAS, a national study of vending machines, released by the Center for
11 Science in the Public Interest, on state and local properties found that the machines were
12 stocked primarily with unhealthy products like soda and other sugary beverages, candy,
13 chips, cookies, snack cakes, and other sweet baked goods; and
14 WHEREAS, effective worksite wellness programs improve the health and
15 productivity of the workforce, contributing to state agencies' capacity to accomplish their
16 missions; and
17 WHEREAS, a comprehensive wellness plan can improve productivity, quality of life,
18 and life expectancy; and
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1 WHEREAS, policies related to healthy food and disease prevention significantly
2 influence the environments in which people work; and
3 WHEREAS, the work environment influences the adoption of healthy lifestyles, by
4 making it more or less difficult for individuals to choose behaviors that promote or diminish
5 health; and
6 WHEREAS, published research about other successful private and public programs
7 throughout the nation show the importance of a comprehensive wellness program that
8 promotes both worksite wellness activity and health insurance plan design changes; and
9 WHEREAS, Louisiana ranked fiftieth in overall health in America's Health Rankings
10 annual report on public health; and
11 WHEREAS, the report noted that more people die of cardiovascular disease in
12 Louisiana than in nearly any other state; and
13 WHEREAS, implementing nutrition standards for vending machines on
14 state-operated property is a common sense, low-cost strategy to reduce the costs to treat
15 obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases; and
16 WHEREAS, state agencies collaborating with each other and their valued employees
17 to improve the health of all state employees and reduce health care costs is important to
18 shared success.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby creates
20 the Louisiana Workplace Wellness Study Commission to study the importance of healthy
21 vending polices for vending machines on state-operated properties and to recommend any
22 action or policies related to healthy vending to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the
23 division of administration, and the office of the governor.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission created herein shall consist of
25 the following eight members:
26 (1) The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
27 (2) The commissioner of administration or his designee.
28 (3) The secretary of the Department of Heath and Hospitals or her designee.
29 (4) A representative from the American Heart Association designated by the
30 association.
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1 (5) The director of the Tulane Prevention Research Center or her designee.
2 (6) The executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center or his
3 designee.
4 (7) The chancellor of LSU Health Sciences Center or his designee.
5 (8) A representative from Fit NOLA designated by the mayor of the city of New
6 Orleans.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commissioner of administration, the
8 secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, the American Heart Association, the
9 director of the Tulane Prevention Research Center, the executive director of the Pennington
10 Biomedical Center, the chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center, and the mayor of the
11 city of New Orleans shall advise the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce
12 Commission of the person that will be serving on the commission prior to July 15, 2016.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall convene its first meeting
14 by August 1, 2016, at the call of the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce
15 Commission. At the first meeting the commission shall elect a chairman and a vice chairman
16 from the commission membership, adopt rules of procedure, a work schedule, and any
17 additional measures that it deems necessary for the timely performance of its duties.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the commission shall serve
19 without compensation.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
21 constitute a quorum of the commission and any official action by the commission shall
22 require an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission will be staffed by the Louisiana
24 Workforce Commission.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall make a written report of
26 its findings and recommendations with suggestions for proposed policies to the president of
27 the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the chief Justice of the Louisiana
28 Supreme Court, and the governor and also to the commissioner of administration for
29 distribution to all state executive branch agencies no later than October 1, 2016.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
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1 to the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the commissioner of
2 administration, the secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, the American Heart
3 Association, the director of the Tulane Prevention Research Center, the executive director
4 of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences
5 Center, and the mayor of the city of New Orleans.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by James Benton.
DIGEST
SCR 134 Original 2016 Regular Session Morrell
Creates and provides for the La. Workplace Wellness Study Commission to study the
importance of healthy vending on state-operated properties. Requires report to be submitted
to the Senate president, House speaker, La. Supreme Court chief justice, and governor and
also to commissioner of administration for distribution to all state executive branch agencies
no later than October 1, 2016.
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