Legislative Alert #10

Physical Education for Progress (PEP) Act

What is Physicial Education for Progress (PEP) Act?
Funding for physical education is on the Congressional agenda for the first time! Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) introduced the PEP Act that authorizes $400 million over a five-year period for grants to local educational agencies for physical education programs. These grants can be used to provide physical education equipment and support to students, to enhance physical education curricula and to train and educate physical education teachers. These are the feeder programs to our youth sports organizations!

How can you help?
Encourage everyone you know to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and tell them to support the PEP Act. They can call, e-mail, write or fax letters of support. Just go to the NCYS home page, click on "The Capitol Connection" and it will take you directly to your Congressman (so to speak!)

*write letters to the editor of your local newspapers supporting the bill;

*invite U.S. Senators and Representives to your local, state, regional and national conventions;

* organize support from community groups;

*know the status of physical education in your state;

* identify quality programs to show what all schools need.

What is the status of the bill?
We recently learned from that, in addition to author Senator Stevens (R-Alaska), the PEP ACT (federal incentive fund for mandatory physical education in public schools) now has 19 cosponsors: Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Sen. Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.), Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln (D-Ark.), Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) and Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.)

We need your help to bring the other 80 Senators onto S.1159!

Why is PEP important to children?
Two disturbing facts: the percentage of overweight young people has more than doubled in the last 30 years and 25% participate in any type of daily physical activity. Physical education instruction provides children with the skills and knowledge they need to adopt active lifestyles and positive achievement.

Watch the NCYS website and NCYS' "The Capitol Connection for news updates on this important issue to our youth sports industry!

Visit http://www.weneedpe.com/ for excellent information on the PEP bill.