Briefing Book for Prof Tutor Only**

Stakeholders, PACs, and advocacy organizations continue to speak up about Senator Walker’s SSB tax bill

Pro…

and Con!

Everyone has an opinion!

And Betty, the department’s Director of Government Relations, reminds us…

Senator Walker is counting on us for credible information

And the clock is ticking!

Chad helps out… Chicago Tribune:

Good riddance to the Cook County soda tax Congratulations! Actually, congratulations to all Cook County taxpayers for a rare grassroots smackdown of the nanny-state government.

…Cook County’s mistake was trying to have it both ways: We’re imposing this extortionate tax because we want you to stop drinking poison, but we also need to collect $200 million or the health care and criminal justice systems will collapse. After voters put their foot down, the county figured out how to balance its budget anyway. That’s the real taxpayer triumph.

Don’t let anyone diminish it by declaring it a win for Big Soda and those evil retailers who, you know, sell our groceries. That’s just sour grapes.

Chicago axed its

tax

The current epidemic of inactivity and the associated epidemic of obesity are being driven by multiple factors (societal, technologic, industrial, commercial, financial) and must be addressed likewise on several fronts. Foremost among these are the expansion of school physical education, dissuading children from pursuing sedentary activities, providing suitable role models for physical activity, and making activity-promoting changes in the environment.

But it’s not only about the SSB tax now

But it’s not only about the SSB tax now

In a new study published in Health Affairs, researchers

estimate that a nationwide penny-per-ounce tax on

sugar-sweetened beverages would reduce consumption

by a whopping 9 calories per day.

Nine calories, that’s it? After all of the huffing and puffing

over needing to tax sugar-sweetened beverages to

prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, it will only make a 9-

calorie-per-day difference? That’s less than 1 percent of

the total number of calories we consume on a daily basis.

…Instead of a draconian national beverage tax—which is

a handy excuse for a money grab—there are some pretty

easy ways for people to burn off a few calories on their

own in short order.

Interesting questions get asked…

Does Public Policy Promote Obesity?

Often ignored in the debate over such taxes, though, are the many ways in which government policies likely promote obesity.

…If activists wish to design public policies that reduce the number of calories we eat because that’s what’s making us obese, then policies that encourage us to eat more of those foods that already make up the bulk of the calories we already consume would seem to be (to put it politely) a boneheaded approach.

…What happens when we measure the USDA National School Lunch Program, farm subsidies for growing crops like corn that are turned into sweeteners, and price supports and tariffs to support the sugar industry? None passes muster. They are inefficient.

Hey, I found some pages from the Obesity Action Coalition’s

policy memo

Information appears…

WHO Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity:

No single intervention can halt the rise of the growing obesity epidemic...

Obesity prevention and treatment requires a whole-of-government approach in which policies across all sectors systematically take health into account, avoid harmful health impacts, and thus improve population health and health equity.

And there are the holistic approaches… like this from WHO

Three guiding principles regarding obesity prevention:

1. Promote policies and scale programs that take a multi-sector approach. Multi- sector, aligned initiatives— collaborations that involve, for example, health departments, schools, transportation departments, local businesses, and other agencies—are more likely to achieve results.

2. Adopt and implement policies that help make healthy choices easy. Federal, state, and local governments can create conditions in schools, communities, and workplaces that make healthy eating and active living accessible, affordable, and convenient.

3. Invest in programs that level the playing field for all individuals and families. While obesity affects all populations, some have significantly higher levels than others—often due to social and economic factors largely beyond their control, such as racism, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare. Carefully designed initiatives, that are informed by community input and address these challenges, are critically important. Investing in these programs requires not only adequate funding, but also staffing, public promotion, and other community resources.

And this from TFAH and RWJF

Three guiding principles regarding obesity prevention:

1. Promote policies and scale programs that take a multi-sector approach. Multi- sector, aligned initiatives— collaborations that involve, for example, health departments, schools, transportation departments, local businesses, and other agencies—are more likely to achieve results.

2. Adopt and implement policies that help make healthy choices easy. Federal, state, and local governments can create conditions in schools, communities, and workplaces that make healthy eating and active living accessible, affordable, and convenient.

3. Invest in programs that level the playing field for all individuals and families. While obesity affects all populations, some have significantly higher levels than others—often due to social and economic factors largely beyond their control, such as racism, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare. Carefully designed initiatives, that are informed by community input and address these challenges, are critically important. Investing in these programs requires not only adequate funding, but also staffing, public promotion, and other community resources.

With all these competing interests, are Senator Walker’s SB 420 co-authors still on board?

A good Senator will

keep her options open!

SB 420 might not be the only hot ticket anymore!

Schoolhouse Rock: How a bill becomes a law

Here’s what we know: Senator Walker asked for help with her SSB tax bill. Dr. Benika asked us to provide evidence for different policy options, and staff is deep into that work. Staff agree – well, mostly– on what we think the Senator ultimately wants to achieve.

The question is: how do we move forward with the

information we’re gathering?

It’s time to bring in a Subject Matter Expert to help us make sense of all the options and

advise us on how to proceed. I know

just the guy…

And pace yourself…

Have you started on the Policy Memo

yet?

How’s the Briefing Book going?