82R10299 BPG-D
By: Veasey, Naishtat H.C.R. No. 87
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, During the past four decades, as Americans have
increased their consumption of highly processed foods, obesity
rates have soared among all age groups and have increased more than
fourfold among children ages 6 to 11; today, nearly a third of
children and adolescents are overweight or obese, which places them
at higher risk for a host of serious illnesses; obese children are
being diagnosed with health problems previously considered to be
adult illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, asthma, and
certain types of cancer; childhood obesity alone costs the United
States an estimated $14 billion in health care expenses, and it is
estimated that the obesity epidemic overall costs the nation $117
billion per year in direct medical expenses and indirect costs; and
WHEREAS, Low-income individuals are particularly at risk for
obesity-related diseases; accordingly, the United States
Department of Agriculture has initiated an incentives-based
program to promote healthier eating among participants in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the
food stamp program; and
WHEREAS, The 2008 federal Farm Bill authorized $20 million
for USDA to test whether incentives to buy fresh produce can
increase the purchase of healthy foods; the Healthy Incentives
Pilot is being conducted in Hampden County, Massachusetts, where
7,500 randomly selected SNAP households will receive a 30-cent
bonus for every dollar they spend on fruits and vegetables using
their SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer cards; and
WHEREAS, Processed foods high in fat and sugar are less
expensive than fresh produce, and this pilot program represents a
significant step toward reducing the financial barriers that
prevent low-income residents from adopting healthier eating
habits; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of a year, more than one in seven
Americans participate in SNAP, half of them being children, and it
is vital that this program promote healthy eating as well as food
security; in a 2008 report, the U.S. Government Accountability
Office found encouraging results from studies examining the
effectiveness of financial incentives to increase fruit and
vegetable consumption among SNAP households; and
WHEREAS, The Healthy Incentives Pilot has the potential to
positively influence the diets of low-income individuals, thereby
reducing obesity and its attendant health care costs, and with such
critical outcomes at stake, the program should not be limited to
just one community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to expand the
Healthy Incentives Pilot to communities across the country; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, to the secretary of
agriculture, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to
Congress with the request that this resolution be entered in the
Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United
States of America.