Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 13–Senators Wiener, Cegavske, Titus, Rawson, Care, Mathews, Raggio and Washington
Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Directing the Legislative Committee on Health Care to conduct an interim study concerning the medical and societal costs and impacts of obesity in Nevada.
Whereas, Obesity manifests itself as one of our nation’s most
significant public health concerns as proven by recent statistics from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which reveal that in
the United States, approximately 38.8 million adults, 19.8 percent of
adults in the United States, are classified as obese, and an estimated
9 million children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19
years, 15 percent of that age group, are categorized as overweight;
and
Whereas, These statistics represent such an extremely rapid
rise of obesity in our society over the last decade that members of
the medical profession attach the word “epidemic” to the problem, a
word usually reserved for massive outbreaks of infectious disease;
and
Whereas, Obesity is a chronic disease, and studies show that
about one half of children who are overweight by the time they are 6
or 7 years of age remain overweight as adults and 75 percent of
adolescents who are overweight will remain overweight as adults;
and
Whereas, Research has established that there is a direct causal
relationship between obesity and heart disease, hypertension, stroke,
elevated cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, arthritis,
breathing problems, gout, and forms of cancer such as uterine,
cervical, ovarian, breast, gallbladder, colorectal and prostate; and
Whereas, Statistics for the year 2000 from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention disclose that 4,089 deaths in
Nevada were the result of heart disease and that 3,763 deaths were
caused by cancer, and obesity almost assuredly played a role in
many of these deaths; and
Whereas, Not only does obesity affect physical health, but
obese persons may also experience low self-esteem, social
stigmatism, discrimination, poor body image and increased risk of
emotional problems, and disorders such as chronic depression,
anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder have commonly been
linked to obesity; and
Whereas, According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, issued in 2001,
an estimated 300,000 people die each year from illnesses directly
caused or worsened by being overweight, a fact that prompted
former Surgeon General David Satcher to warn that obesity may
soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in
America; and
Whereas, In 2000, the total costs of this epidemic in the United
States rose to an estimated $117 billion per year, consisting of $61
billion in direct costs for preventive, diagnostic and treatment
services for medical care and $56 billion in losses relating to
productivity in the workforce and the value of future earnings lost
by premature death; and
Whereas, There is a compelling need for an aggressive
program of prevention and treatment because the direct and indirect
costs resulting from obesity are expected to increase rapidly as the
problem worsens and because the prevention and amelioration of
obesity could have a significantly positive impact on health care
costs in this state; and
Whereas, Conquering the problem of obesity must begin with
the process of accumulating sound scientific data as a foundation for
fostering awareness of the role that genetics, behavior and
environment play in obesity and finding solutions to improve the
quality of life; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the
Assembly Concurring, That the Legislative Committee on
Health Care is hereby directed to conduct a study of the medical and
societal costs and impacts of obesity on the State of Nevada; and be
it further
Resolved, That a subcommittee must be appointed for the
study consisting of one Legislator appointed by the Majority Leader
of the Senate, one Legislator appointed by the Minority Leader of
the Senate, one Legislator appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly and one Legislator appointed by the Minority Leader of
the Assembly, all of whom must have served on the Senate Standing
Committee on Human Resources and Facilities or the Assembly
Standing Committee on Health and Human Services during the
2003 Legislative Session; and be it further
Resolved, That one person assigned by the Health Division of
the Department of Human Resources and one person assigned
by the Department of Education shall also serve as voting members
of the subcommittee; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislative Commission shall appoint a
chairman of the subcommittee from among the members of the
subcommittee; and be it further
Resolved, That the study must include, without limitation:
1. An analysis of the fiscal impact of obesity on health care
costs and productivity in Nevada and a determination of possible
savings in health care costs resulting from the prevention and proper
treatment of obesity;
2. The identification of programs and practices that have been
established in Nevada and other states which are cost-effective and
could be implemented throughout Nevada;
3. Recommendations for programs to increase public
awareness regarding the causes, prevention, risks and treatment of
obesity;
4. An examination of the particular effects of the 24-hour
lifestyle and transient nature of some of the population of this state
on obesity;
5. Recommendations for programs and practices that
encourage healthy and balanced fitness and nutritional choices; and
6. Any other proposals for legislation relating to health care for
obesity that the committee may receive or develop; and be it further
Resolved, That any recommended legislation proposed by the
subcommittee must be approved by a majority of the members of
the Senate and a majority of the members of the Assembly
appointed to the subcommittee; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislative Committee on Health Care
shall submit a report of the results of the study and any
recommendations for legislation to the 73rd Session of the Nevada
Legislature.
20~~~~~03