Why the Fitness Industry Should Stay Calm and Push PHIT On

A lot has happened in Washington, D.C. in the past month, yet paradoxically, Congress has not accomplished much. We had two (two!) government shutdowns and still have not decided on how to fully fund the government beyond next month.

Despite the noise and seeming chaos, windows of opportunity for PHIT—our top federal policy priority—will continue to open, and we must be ready when they do! PHIT remains well situated, enjoying tremendous bipartisan support, with 122 sponsors (107 House, 15 Senate), and attaching PHIT to an omnibus spending bill remains the most immediate, but not the only, avenue to making PHIT a reality.

PHIT will play an active role in increasing the physically active population, while consequently helping restore our military readiness and combat the diabetes epidemic. Consider the following statistics:

• Nearly 27% of young people (ages 17-24) are ineligible to join the military because they are too heavy. Every year, 15,000 potential young recruits fail their military physical due to obesity.

• A review of 305 randomized controlled trials involving over 339,000 people found no statistically detectable differences between exercise and drug interventions for preventing the progression of heart disease and prevention of diabetes. For stroke patients, exercise was more effective than drug treatment.

If you believe in the benefits of physical activity and making it more accessible for families across America, speak up!

Send a personalized letter to your members of Congress and ask them to include PHIT in any omnibus spending bill. You can send our pre-written message as is, or edit it as you like.

PHIT would allow more Americans to take control of their health, and help increase the physically active population.

Exercise is a big part of the solution to many problems we are facing, and we need to encourage people to be physically active instead of creating disincentives to exercise. Help us spread this message.

Below are some recent legislative alerts sent out to members. To access the full alert, please first log in to the IHRSA website:

• Illinois Bill Proposes Increase to Membership Price Cap
• New Jersey Automatic Renewal Notification Bill Re-introduced
• Virginia Bill Seeks Regulation of Automatic Renewal
• West Virginia Legislation Would Apply Sales Tax to Clubs
• Legislative Alert: W. Va. Bill Seeks Regulation of Automatic Renewal
• Legislative Alert: Hawaii Bill Proposes Bonding Requirement for Health Clubs
• Legislative Alert: Tennessee Bill Would Expand Sales Tax to Health Clubs
• Legislative Alert: Nebraska Legislator Proposes Sales Tax Changes
• Legislative Alert: WA State Bill Would Repeal Fitness Sales Tax Until 2029

Empowering the fitness industry is an investment in America’s health.

Do you have a question or concern about your state’s policies? Shoot us an email! You can also learn more by checking our state advocacy pages.