A broad coalition of organizations and companies, led by PHIT America, is working in unison on a national letter-writing campaign to rally support in Congress to pass the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) legislation and secure $75 million in 2014 funding for local Physical Education programs through the PEP program.
The campaign will utilize youth sports organizations and sports companies to ask their members, constituents, and customers to send a strong message to Members of Congress. Youth sports organizations such as the PGA of America, National Golf Course Owners Association, Midtown Athletic Clubs, PONY Baseball & Softball, Dixie Boys Baseball and the Sports & Fitness Industry Association have already committed to urge their members to contact Congress in support of PHIT and PEP.
In addition, industry organizations are asking their members to contact their employees, partners and colleagues to write letters.
“There has never been a more important time for every person interested in promoting physical activity to send a message to individual Members of Congress requesting support for two of the most important pieces of legislation which will help the U.S. become fit and healthy,” said Jim Baugh, founder and President of PHIT America. “We are at a critical moment and the sports and fitness community needs to make its voice heard.”
A recent story in the Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune, written by U.S. Masters Swimming Executive Director Rob Butcher, confirmed the importance of the PHIT Act and how it can positively impact the finances of every household in the country.
This effort is intended to complement and support the SFIA’s National Health Through Fitness Day — Wednesday, March 5. This annual event is the sports and fitness industry’s largest and most important lobby day in Washington D.C. This year there are two major goals:
1. Pass the Revolutionary PHIT Act: allows Americans to use Pre-Tax Medical Accounts to get reimbursed for physical activity expenses.
2. Sustain the PEP Program: helps rebuild physical education programs, our country’s most powerful grassroots sports/activity program.
The campaign has developed easy-to-use tools on the PHIT America website, where interested parties can easily click to activate a letter to be sent to their individual Members of Congress.
Listed below is a link that allows you to send a personalized electronic letter to your local Congressman and your state's two U.S. Senators seeking support for PHIT and PEP. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3 to use. The link appears below:
http://www.phitamerica.org/Advocate.htm
Please ADVOCATE now and help this cause. Forward this email to your friends, family, and business associates so they can help, too.
“While Republicans and Democrats do not agree on health care or taxes, the PHIT Act, a health care-related tax bill, has bridged the divide in Congress,” said Bill Sells, SFIA vice president of government relations. “The PHIT Act has co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle — 17 Democrats and 14 Republicans, and our letter-writing campaign is designed to show how promoting physical activity is supported by millions of Americans and should be supported by all Members of Congress.”
