07 LC 36
0791S
The
Senate Health and Human Services Committee offered the following substitute to
SR 517:
A
RESOLUTION
Creating
a Senate Study Committee on Diabetes and Childhood Obesity in Georgia; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS,
there is concern over the increasing incidence of diabetes and childhood obesity
in Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
over 18 million Americans live with diabetes today, and fully a third of them do
not even know they have the disease; and
WHEREAS,
there are roughly 715,000 people with diabetes living in Georgia alone, a 20
percent increase in the last five years; and
WHEREAS,
thirty percent (214,000) of Georgians do not know they have diabetes, but it
could already be causing eye, kidney, and heart damage for many of them;
and
WHEREAS,
Type 2 diabetes is becoming a disease of midlife, rather than developing at an
older age, and is even beginning to affect school children; and
WHEREAS,
in Georgia, the cost of diabetes due to medical care, lost productivity, and
premature death is over $4 billion per year; and
WHEREAS,
diabetes is very serious, and its complications include heart disease, stroke,
blindness, kidney failure, high blood pressure, nerve damage, and amputations;
and
WHEREAS,
encouraging patients to ask their health care professional for an AC1 test can
help them better control their diabetes; and
WHEREAS,
overweight children are at risk for health problems during their youth and into
adulthood, and they are more likely to have risk factors associated with
cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2
diabetes than are other children and adolescents; and
WHEREAS,
Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as "adult-onset diabetes" and now classified as
an epidemic in American children, continues to rise in Georgia, and overweight
children are also at increased risk for hypertension, asthma, sleep apnea, and
low self-esteem; and
WHEREAS,
the obesity prevalence in the United States among children six to 19 years old
more than tripled between 1980 and 2003; and
WHEREAS,
in Georgia, the prevalence is staggering, with 27 percent of two to five year
old children, 33 percent of middle school age children, and 26 percent of high
school students overweight or at risk for being overweight, and the severity of
overweight children in this state is two times higher than the current national
average; and
WHEREAS,
overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become obese as adults,
as shown in one study which found that approximately 80 percent of overweight
children between the ages of 10 and 15 were obese adults at age 25;
and
WHEREAS,
many experts agree that obesity in childhood may affect academic performance,
with one study suggesting that overweight children have significantly lower math
and reading test scores compared to nonoverweight children in kindergarten;
and
WHEREAS,
the medical costs associated with obesity from childhood to adulthood in Georgia
is nearly $2.1 billion per year due to costs associated with diagnostic and
treatment services, lost wages, and reduced productivity due to illness,
disability, and premature death; and
WHEREAS,
due to the epidemic of childhood obesity, many experts believe this may be the
first generation of children who will not outlive their parents.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that there is created a Senate Study
Committee on Diabetes and Childhood Obesity in Georgia to be composed of five
members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate. The President of
the Senate shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the
committee. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the
committee.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the
conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and
recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or
appropriate. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such
times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and
effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and
purposes of this resolution. The members of the committee shall receive the
allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received
by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days
are authorized. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this
resolution shall come from the funds appropriated to the Senate. In the event
the committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with
suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or
before December 15, 2007. The committee shall stand abolished on December 15,
2007.