House backs statewide daily physical-activity requirement after narrow procedural votes
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Summary
The House adopted a committee substitute to H.B. 27-48 requiring daily physical activity for K–12 students (60 minutes average) after an amendment clarified implementation timing and allowed up to 10 minutes to count toward class minutes; members debated logistics, teacher capacity and scheduling impacts.
The House adopted a committee substitute to H.B. 27-48, a bill that would require students to engage in an average of 60 minutes of daily physical activity across the school week, with implementation delayed by an amendment and guidance allowing districts flexibility on how to meet that requirement.
The bill sponsor, the gentleman from Greene, described the proposal as a research-backed policy to improve learning, behavior and mental health: the committee amendment removes an emergency clause, pushes the start date back to give districts time to implement and spells out how minutes may be distributed (including up to 10 minutes counting toward course minutes).
Several members questioned implementation details. Representatives cited concerns about scheduling, certification of personnel leading activities, the effect on high-school course options and whether an opt-out or waiver should be available for students in extracurricular athletics. "If we have to take 10 minutes away from biology and art and band ... that's 17% of instruction time," the lady from Boone warned, pressing for clarity about which standards could be reduced.
Supporters said the change can be implemented without lengthening the school day by reallocating existing minutes across courses and that evidence from local case studies showed academic gains from daily physical activity.
Procedurally, the House passed a previous-question motion by recorded vote 89–45 and later 93–46 on subsequent motions while moving the amendment and final committee substitute; House Amendment No. 1 (the sponsor's amendment) was adopted and the committee substitute was perfected and printed.
Members noted further operational details remain for district-level policy, including disciplinary rules if students do not participate and whether physical-activity time will be overseen by PE teachers or other staff. The bill now moves forward for continued consideration and drafting of implementing policy language.