,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ahfa  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #be1 #bjai,ms4
 ,lofgren introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,education and ,labor  ,a ,,bill  ,to  
direct the ,secretary of ,education to  
conduct a study to determine the        
relationship between school start times 
and adolescent health1 well-being1 and  
performance4  #a4 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,,zzz's to ,a's
 ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3  7#a7 ,the ,secretary of 
,education has not formally issued      
policy guidance on school start times4  
7#b7 ,eight to #aj hours of sleep a day 
is recommended for teenagers aged #ac to
 #ah years1 but early school start times
 are contributing to lack of sleep among
 adolescents4  7#c7 ,despite the shift  
in biological rhythms during puberty1   
which causes adolescents to sleep later 
at night and wake later in the morning1 
#ic percent of high schools and #hc     

percent of middle schools in the ,united
 ,states started before #h3cj a4m4 in   
#bjad4  7#d7 ,numerous local educational
 agencies across #df ,states have       
recently changed or are considering     
changing school start times in an effort
 to improve adolescent health1          
well-being1 and performance4  7#e7      
,later school start times are associated
 with-- 7,a7 improvements in academic   
performance1 including attendance rates1
 grade point averages1 and test scores2 
7,b7 improvements in mental and physical
 health1 including reduced risk of      
depression and obesity2 and  7,c7       
improvements in public safety1 including
 reduced risk of automobile accidents4  
7#f7 ,a universal delay in school start 
times would be a cost-effective policy  
measure4  7#g7 ,the ,department of      
,education's mission is to promote      
student achievement and preparation for 
global competitiveness by fostering     
educational excellence and ensuring     
equal access4  #c4 ,study and report    

,not later than #ah months after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,secretary of ,education shall--  7#a7  
conduct a study1 directly or through the
 award of a grant or contract1 to       
examine the relationship between school 
start times and adolescent health1      
well-being1 and performance that--  7,a7
 provides a comprehensive review of the 
scientific evidence relating to school  
start times and adolescent health1      
well-being1 and performance2  7,b7      
compares adolescent health1 well-being1 
and performance among local educational 
agencies with different school start    
times2 and  7,c7 evaluates factors that 
contribute to or affect school start    
times2 and  7#b7 submit to ,congress a  
report that describes--  7,a7 the       
findings of the study2 and  7,b7 any    
recommendations of the ,secretary based 
on such findings4  #d4 ,definitions ,in 
this ,act3 7#a7 ,local educational      
agency ,the term local educational      
agency has the meaning given the term in

 section #haja of the ,elementary and   
,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj
 ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74  7#b7 ,performance   
,the term performance means a           
measurement of how well an individual   
achieves a desired task1 and may include
 academic performance and cognitive     
performance4