gilbert

=**Senator Gilbert: Florida- The Sunshine State**=

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Senator Gilbert:
I am a proud Republican, representing the state of Florida. I grew up Florida and swam all my life. I graduated from Auburn and swam there also and earned my masters. My current bill I am working on is about low income children and keeping them out of trouble using sports.

My stand on Physical Education as a Child:
I beleive that Physical Education, especially for girls is critical for many reasons. Many schools around the United States have been cutting PE classes for some children in order to get ready for the No Child Left Behind testing that is required. In addition to this, schools are also cutting funds for sports programs or charging their parents for them to participate.

** The Senate ** ** S. ** This is a Bill to help low income students build recreation parks and pools in their local neighborhoods for a healthier lifestyle and to keep them out of trouble otherwise. ** IN THE MCGEHEE CONGRESS ** Sponsored by Senator Gilbert of Florida Co-Sponsored by Senator Spangenberg of California, Senator Caffery of Arizona, Senator Wilbert of Maine, Senator McLellan of Louisiana, Senator Proze of Massachusetts, Senator Platt of Texas
 * 1st Session **
 * April, 2009 **

A Bill

To help low income students build recreation parks and pools in their local neighborhoods for a healthier lifestyle and to keep them out of trouble otherwise.  // Be it enacted by the Members of the McG Congress // // of the United States of America in Congress assembled, // “Apply for a Splash” This Act may be cited as the “Apply for a Splash” A. There are three times as many overweight adolescences today than there were in 1980, and at least one in three children in the United States is overweight. B. Students who spend at least one to four hours in an extracurricular activity are 49% less likely to do drugs and 37% less likely to become a teen parent and are more likely to graduate. C. Children in low income areas have fewer opportunities because of lack of funding, equipment, and social barriers. D. Two hours a week of exercise for girls can reduce their lifetime chance of getting breast cancer and improve self esteem. E. When schools are taking sports away because they are more expensive than arts, this hinders children’s activity and motivation to get a scholarship. F. Engaging in service-learning and community service activities at a young age makes individuals more likely to continue to volunteer and engage in service throughout their lives.
 * SECTION 1. TITLE **
 * SECTION 2. FINDINGS **

G. UPARR- Urban Park and Recreation Recovery was established in 1978. It has not been funded in 2002. It includes rehabilitation grants, innovation grants, and planning grants. The total amount of money that has been applied for in Florida in the past is $13,197,757. ** SECTION 3: PURPOSE ** The purpose of this bill is to give underprivileged children the opportunity to succeed and thrive in sports, specifically swimming, and after school activities to prevent them from getting in trouble elsewhere. This will also provide opportunities for in-school and out-of-school youth in high need, low income communities as a strategy to retain and re-engage youth likely to drop out or who have dropped out. A. Local communities though the state could apply for funds and use the money to build Olympic size pools and other recreational parks. B. To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a partnership shall submit an application to the Department of Health and Human Services at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Department may require, which includes- a description of the project to improve the community that the partnership is proposing to carry out. The Department of Health and Human Services will give priority to eligible partnerships that serve high percentages or numbers of low-income students.
 * SECTION 4. ELIGIBILITY. **

(1) Low income students are students who are eligible to be counted under one of the measures of poverty described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)). Use of funds would include a partnership that receives a grant under this section that should use the funds made available through the grant to establish and carry out a high-quality youth swimming and recreational program that is designed to A. Keep the children out of trouble and solve community challenges B. provide the proper equipment and rules and regulations C. improves student engagement, including student attendance and student behavior, and student achievement, scholarship rates, and college-going rates in secondary schools for low income children D. encourages participants to continue to engage in service, sports, and a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. By the end of five years, improvement in the community should be evident and participation rates should be going up. The community as a whole should be striving and crime rates should slowly be going down. The park and pools should be properly tended to, and should not turn into something it was not intended to be.
 * SECTION 5. TERMS AND BENEFITS OF SERVICE. **