Bill Details
Status
Latest action
2025-03-10 - Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced Date
2025-03-10
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (1)
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would require the Department of Defense to study how obesity affects the military and to report the findings to Congress. It asks the Pentagon to look at how obesity leads to injuries, medical discharges, higher costs, and problems with military readiness. It also directs the department to examine ways to improve the food served to service members, make healthy foods easier for military families to get, and make obesity reporting clearer and more frequent. All of these reports would be due within one year of the bill becoming law.
- The Defense Health Agency would be told to improve how often military obesity reports are released and how easy they are to understand.
- The Secretary of Defense would study how obesity contributes to injuries during service and to medical discharges, as well as the yearly costs connected to those problems.
- The department would also study how to change food buying and supply practices so it can provide healthier food that supports better health.
- Another study would look at whether families of service members have enough access to healthy food, and a separate report would examine how rising obesity levels affect national security readiness.
Official Summaries
This bill requires the Defense Health Agency within the Department of Defense (DOD) to take actions to improve the transparency and frequency of military obesity reports.
The bill requires DOD to conduct studies and submit reports to Congress on
- the contribution of obesity to in-service injuries and medical discharges and annual costs to the Armed Forces associated with such obesity-related injuries and discharges,
- how it can transform its food procurement processes to procure healthier food that promotes better health outcomes, and
- issues relating to access to healthy foods for families of members of the Armed Forces.
Additionally, DOD must submit a report to Congress regarding the impact on national security readiness of the rising levels of obesity among active-duty members of the Armed Forces.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1977 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1977
To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study relating to
obesity in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2025
Mr. Buchanan (for himself and Ms. Moore of Wisconsin) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study relating to
obesity in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. STUDIES AND REPORTS RELATING TO OBESITY IN THE MILITARY.
(a) Improvement of Transparency and Frequency of Military Obesity
Reports.--The Director of the Defense Health Agency shall take such
actions as the Director considers appropriate to improve the
transparency and frequency of military obesity reports.
(b) Study and Report on Contribution of Obesity to In-Service
Injuries and Medical Discharges.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study
on--
(A) the contribution of obesity to in-service
injuries and medical discharges; and
(B) annual costs to the Armed Forces associated
with obesity-related in-service injuries and medical
discharges.
(2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the results of the
study conducted under paragraph (1).
(c) Study and Report on Transformation of Food Procurement
Processes.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study
on how the Department of Defense can transform the food
procurement processes of the Department to procure healthier
food that promotes better health outcomes.
(2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the results of the
study conducted under paragraph (1).
(d) Study and Report on Access to Healthy Foods.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study
on issues relating to access to healthy foods for families of
members of the Armed Forces.
(2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the results of the
study conducted under paragraph (1).
(e) Report on Impact of Obesity on National Security Readiness.--
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense
committees a report on the impact on national security readiness of the
rising levels of obesity among active-duty members of the Armed Forces.
(f) Congressional Defense Committees Defined.--In this section, the
term ``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
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