Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 13–Senators Wiener, Cegavske, Titus, Rawson, Care, Mathews, Raggio and Washington

 

March 4, 2003

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Referred to Committee on Legislative Affairs and Operations

 

SUMMARY—Directs Legislative Committee on Health Care to conduct interim study concerning medical and societal costs and impacts of obesity in Nevada. (BDR R‑25)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

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.

 

1-1  Whereas, Obesity manifests itself as one of our nation’s most

1-2  significant public health concerns as proven by recent statistics from

1-3  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which reveal that in

1-4  the United States, approximately 38.8 million adults, 19.8 percent of

1-5  adults in the United States, are classified as obese, and an estimated

1-6  9 million children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19

1-7  years, 15 percent of that age group, are categorized as overweight;

1-8  and

1-9  Whereas, These statistics represent such an extremely rapid

1-10  rise of obesity in our society over the last decade that members of

1-11  the medical profession attach the word “epidemic” to the problem, a

1-12  word usually reserved for massive outbreaks of infectious disease;

1-13  and

1-14      Whereas, Obesity is a chronic disease, and studies show that

1-15  about one half of children who are overweight by the time they are 6

1-16  or 7 years of age remain overweight as adults and 75 percent of

1-17  adolescents who are overweight will remain overweight as adults;

1-18  and

1-19      Whereas, Research has established that there is a direct causal

1-20  relationship between obesity and heart disease, hypertension, stroke,

2-1  elevated cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, arthritis,

2-2  breathing problems, gout, and forms of cancer such as uterine,

2-3  cervical, ovarian, breast, gallbladder, colorectal and prostate; and

2-4  Whereas, Statistics for the year 2000 from the Centers for

2-5  Disease Control and Prevention disclose that 4,089 deaths in

2-6  Nevada were the result of heart disease and that 3,763 deaths were

2-7  caused by cancer, and obesity almost assuredly played a role in

2-8  many of these deaths; and

2-9  Whereas, Not only does obesity affect physical health, but

2-10  obese persons may also experience low self-esteem, social

2-11  stigmatism, discrimination, poor body image and increased risk of

2-12  emotional problems, and disorders such as chronic depression,

2-13  anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder have commonly been

2-14  linked to obesity; and

2-15      Whereas, According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action

2-16  to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, issued in 2001,

2-17  an estimated 300,000 people die each year from illnesses directly

2-18  caused or worsened by being overweight, a fact that prompted

2-19  former Surgeon General David Satcher to warn that obesity may

2-20  soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in

2-21  America; and

2-22      Whereas, In 2000, the total costs of this epidemic in the United

2-23  States rose to an estimated $117 billion per year, consisting of $61

2-24  billion in direct costs for preventive, diagnostic and treatment

2-25  services for medical care and $56 billion in losses relating to

2-26  productivity in the workforce and the value of future earnings lost

2-27  by premature death; and

2-28      Whereas, There is a compelling need for an aggressive

2-29  program of prevention and treatment because the direct and indirect

2-30  costs resulting from obesity are expected to increase rapidly as the

2-31  problem worsens and because the prevention and amelioration of

2-32  obesity could have a significantly positive impact on health care

2-33  costs in this state; and

2-34      Whereas, Conquering the problem of obesity must begin with

2-35  the process of accumulating sound scientific data as a foundation for

2-36  fostering awareness of the role that genetics, behavior and

2-37  environment play in obesity and finding solutions to improve the

2-38  quality of life; now, therefore, be it

2-39      Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the

2-40  Assembly Concurring, That the Legislative Committee on

2-41  Health Care is hereby directed to conduct a study of the medical and

2-42  societal costs and impacts of obesity on the State of Nevada; and be

2-43  it further

2-44      Resolved, That a subcommittee must be appointed for the

2-45  study consisting of one Legislator appointed by the Majority Leader

3-1  of the Senate, one Legislator appointed by the Minority Leader of

3-2  the Senate, one Legislator appointed by the Speaker of the

3-3  Assembly and one Legislator appointed by the Minority Leader of

3-4  the Assembly, all of whom must have served on the Senate Standing

3-5  Committee on Human Resources and Facilities or the Assembly

3-6  Standing Committee on Health and Human Services during the

3-7  2003 Legislative Session; and be it further

3-8  Resolved, That one person assigned by the Health Division of

3-9  the Department of Human Resources and one person assigned by

3-10  the Department of Education shall also serve as voting members of

3-11  the subcommittee; and be it further

3-12      Resolved, That the Legislative Commission shall appoint a

3-13  chairman of the subcommittee from among the members of the

3-14  subcommittee; and be it further

3-15      Resolved, That the study must include, without limitation:

3-16      1.  An analysis of the fiscal impact of obesity on health care

3-17  costs and productivity in Nevada and a determination of possible

3-18  savings in health care costs resulting from the prevention and proper

3-19  treatment of obesity;

3-20      2.  The identification of programs and practices that have been

3-21  established in Nevada and other states which are cost-effective and

3-22  could be implemented throughout Nevada;

3-23      3.  Recommendations for programs to increase public

3-24  awareness regarding the causes, prevention, risks and treatment of

3-25  obesity;

3-26      4.  An examination of the particular effects of the 24-hour

3-27  lifestyle and transient nature of some of the population of this state

3-28  on obesity;

3-29      5.  Recommendations for programs and practices that

3-30  encourage healthy and balanced fitness and nutritional choices; and

3-31      6.  Any other proposals for legislation relating to health care for

3-32  obesity that the committee may receive or develop; and be it further

3-33      Resolved, That any recommended legislation proposed by the

3-34  subcommittee must be approved by a majority of the members of

3-35  the Senate and a majority of the members of the Assembly

3-36  appointed to the subcommittee; and be it further

3-37      Resolved, That the Legislative Committee on Health Care

3-38  shall submit a report of the results of the study and any

3-39  recommendations for legislation to the 73rd Session of the Nevada

3-40  Legislature.

 

3-41  H