Health, education and recreation agencies back consolidating childhood‑obesity rules into education reform bill with caveats

A legislative public hearing on March 7 in the House of Representatives examined Project de la Cámara 148, which would add an article to Law 85‑2018 (the education reform law) to consolidate the island’s statutes and public policy on childhood obesity prevention, nutritional guidance and school‑health protocols.

Representatives, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Department of Recreation and Sports, the Commission of Nutrition and several professional associations and civil‑society witnesses testified. Most witnesses told the Commission of Education they support consolidation and clearer interagency coordination but warned that removing earlier laws without explicitly preserving key bodies or protocols could create gaps.

Victor Ramos, secretary of health, said the measure’s aims are sound but urged that monitoring be robust and recurring. He told the commission that data collection should be repeated throughout the school year to accurately measure progress rather than relying on a single point in time.

Luz Rodríguez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Commission of Alimentación y Nutrición, described a body…