The Healthy Choices for Healthy Children legislation we discussed a couple of months back (here, and here) passed in the Ohio Senate yesterday afternoon.
Cincinnati Children’s and the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association have strongly supported this bill from its infancy and we are pleased it has passed this crucial vote.
A companion bill is expected to be voted upon in the Ohio House of Representatives within a few weeks.
While the final Senate bill underwent some fairly significant changes between the version that we detailed previously and the one that passed yesterday, we believe it is still a good first step toward Ohio addressing the childhood obesity epidemic.
For a side-by-side comparison of the changes made since the bill’s introduction last fall, please visit the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children website and click the “Substitute Bill Comparison” link in the left-hand navigation.
An article on the topic appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer this morning. Cliff Peale quotes Dr. Lisa Simpson among others and elaborates on a few of the provisions within the legislation. It’s worth a read if you’re interested in a third party interpretation of what the bill will mean for kids in Ohio.
The bottom line is, Ohio needs to address this epidemic. Tackling it won’t be easy, but we are encouraged by this step in the right direction and will continue to support the efforts.
