Legislative/Policy Term Glossary

Definition Appendix

Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act – Legislation that would establish a framework for schools to assess at the quality and quantity of PE they are providing, and provide parents with that information so they can better understand the PE their kids are receiving.

Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students Act – Legislation that would authorize $1 billion for grants to states to develop comprehensive, data-driven, and evidence-based programs to advance student achievement by promoting student health and wellness, preventing bullying, violence, and drug use, and fostering a positive school climate.

21^st Century Learning Centers – A federal grant program that supports the creation of community learning centers to provide academic enrichment opportunities outside of school hours, especially for students in high-poverty and low-performing schools. Grants are administered by state education agencies.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act – Legislation first passed in 1965 and reauthorized periodically that funds primary and secondary education, establishes education standards, and provides for professional support and development for teachers. The most recent reauthorization occurred in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act.

Child and Adult Care Food Program – A nutrition education and meal reimbursement program that helps providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in day care settings.

Healthy Kids from Day One Act – Legislation that would establish a pilot program to address overweight and obesity among children from birth to age 5 in child care settings.

Workforce Health Improvement Program Act – Legislation that would allow employers to deduct the cost of providing on-site or off-site health club or gym benefits and prevent this wellness benefit from being considered additional income for employees.

Personal Health Investment Today Act – Legislation that changes the definition of a medical expense in the tax code to allow for reimbursement of physical activity expenses, such as sports league fees and gym memberships, from existing pre-tax accounts such as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA's).

Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention America Act – Legislation that would improve the health of Americans by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to all low-income elementary schools, providing tax credits to businesses that offer comprehensive workplace wellness programs, developing two-year targets for sodium reduction in packaged and restaurant foods, establishing uniform FDA guidelines for health symbols on food packaging, and providing grants for the implementation of community-based sports for people with disabilities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthier Worksite Initiative – Initiative at the CDC that strives to make the CDC a work site where healthy choices are easy choices. The initiative has been used as a model for other federal work sites, and the CDC has developed a website to further share resources about workforce health promotion.

Essential Health Benefits – A set of health care service categories that must be covered by certain health plans starting in 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act. The benefits must include items and services from ten categories: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and rehabilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force – An independent group of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, or preventive medications.

Safe Routes to School – A grant program that provides funding to build and complete sidewalks in neighborhoods around schools to make it easier and safer for children to walk and bike to school.

Complete Streets – A community planning model that strives to ensure streets are safe and accessible for all users: pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists, and drivers.

Transportation Enhancements – Federally funded, community-based projects that expand travel choices and enhance the transportation experience by improving the cultural, historic, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of U.S. transportation infrastructure. TE projects must be one of 12 eligible activities and must relate to surface transportation.

Redfields to Greenfields – A research effort analyzing the effects of acquiring financially distressed properties (real estate “in the red”) in major U.S. cities and converting them into green space: public parks and adjacent land banked for future sustainable development.

Healthy Kids Outdoors Act – Legislation that would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out programs and activities that connect Americans, especially children, youth, and families, with the outdoors.

Afterschool for America’s Children Act – Legislation would strengthen 21^st Century Community Learning Centers by supporting innovation in before-school, after school, and summer learning programs.

Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization – This law provides subsides to assist low-income families in obtaining childcare so that parents can work or participate in education training activities. The Child Care and Development Block Grant was first approved in 1990 and has not been reauthorized or re-evaluated in 16 years.

High School Data Transparency Act – Legislation would require the Secretary of Education to collect data on sports participation by gender, teams, race, and ethnicity as well as on expenditures for those teams and make the information public on their website.

America’s Great Outdoors – An initiative from President Obama to promote and support community-level efforts to conserve outdoor spaces and to reconnect Americans to the outdoors.

Let’s Move Outside – A component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative administered by the Department of the Interior that connects kids and parents with nearby parks, trails, and waters.

Land and Water Conservation Fund – A grant program that provides matching federal grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities, as well as funding for shared federal land acquisition and conservation strategies.

Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act – Legislation that would provide matching grants to states and localities for the development and maintenance of community parks. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development would give priority to projects that connect children and other community members to the outdoors for physical activity; connect to public transportation; and contain safe biking and walking trails or routes.

National Physical Activity Plan – A comprehensive set of policies, programs, and initiatives, developed by a private-public sector collaborative, that aim to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act -- Legislation that would set a 10 year cycle for review of the National Physical Activity Guidelines based on current scientific and medical knowledge. In addition, it would require a second report midway through each cycle to highlight “best practices and continuing issues in the physical activity arena regarding Americans.