Press Room

American Council on Exercise Gets Active on Capitol Hill

Posted: Jun 05, 2006 in

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – June 5, 2006 – The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s nonprofit fitness advocate, recently participated in meetings in Washington, DC with California Congressional leaders to voice support for health promotion legislation as part of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s (IHRSA) 4th Annual Legislative Summit, which was held May 17-18, 2006.

The event brings together fitness industry leaders on Capitol Hill to call on Congress to support health promotion legislation. IHRSA and its members support effective national initiatives to promote more active lifestyles for all Americans, and they are working to pass laws that will help affect societal changes toward a more fit America.

The focus at this year’s Summit is to garner further support for the passage of the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act (H.R. 1634, S. 772). This legislation seeks to combat chronic disease and obesity caused by inactivity by allowing for the balanced tax treatment of fitness center memberships as an employee benefit.

“Given the staggering public health costs associated with leading a sedentary lifestyle, it is essential that each and every one of us do what we can to make physical activity more accessible for all segments of society,” said Scott Goudeseune, president American Council on Exercise. “This is the message that we carried to our Members of Congress and will continue to support.”

About ACE
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s Authority on Fitness, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. As the nation’s “workout watchdog,” ACE sponsors university-based exercise science research and testing that targets fitness products and trends. ACE sets standards for fitness professionals and is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE Web site at www.acefitness.org.

About IHRSA
IHRSA is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA is committed to taking a leadership role in advancing physical activity, which is critical to America’s health and the battle against obesity and disease. IHRSA supports effective national initiatives to promote more active lifestyles and is working to pass laws that will help affect societal changes toward a more fit America.