PLAY Act

(1) Playgrounds help enhance children’s cognitive functions and build important creative thinking and problem-solving skills that contributes to their emotional and physical well-being.

(2) Playgrounds are critical to children’s physical and mental health, and every child in America deserves access to a safe and quality place to play.

(3) Local green spaces can reduce surface heat temperatures by 10 to 20 degrees, which has become the number one weather-related killer in the United States.

(4) Safe and accessible playgrounds are proven public health infrastructure that promote physical activity, reduce chronic disease risk, support social-emotional development, and strengthen community cohesion.

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a task force to be known as the Task Force on Child Wellness and Physical Activity Infrastructure (in this section referred to as the Task Force).

The Task Force shall be composed of the following members or their designees:

(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(2) The Secretary of the Interior.

(3) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

(4) The Secretary of Agriculture.

(5) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

(6) The Secretary of Transportation.

(7) The Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

(8) The Secretary of Defense.

(9) The Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers.

(10) The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

(11) The Secretary of Education.

(12) Any other member that the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to be appropriate.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of the Interior shall serve as co-chairpersons of the Task Force (in this section referred to as the Chairpersons).

The duties of the Task Force shall be—

(A) to identify opportunities to formalize coordination between the Department of Health and Human Services, public health and public lands agencies, and partner organizations regarding the use of outdoor spaces for creating outdoor environments that encourage physical activity and well-being among youth;

(B) to identify existing barriers to providing children with opportunities for accessing close-to-home, community-driven, and outdoor spaces;

(C) to develop recommendations to better facilitate active play for the promotion of health and well-being, academic learning, and safe community centers;

(D) to develop recommendations for how agencies may work together to ensure the ability of child wellness infrastructure to meet the diverse health, environmental, and resiliency needs of the surrounding community; and

(E) to identify and promote scalable models, such as public-private partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations, that build evidence-based play environments proven to improve children’s physical and emotional health.

The Task Force shall carry out the duties under paragraph (1) in consultation with appropriate health and wellness and outdoor recreation groups, including organizations with experience in community-led playground development, child health, and physical activity promotion.

Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Task Force is established, the Chairpersons shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the preliminary findings of the Task Force.

Not later than one year after the date of the submittal of the preliminary report under paragraph (1), the Chairpersons shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings of the Task Force, which shall include the recommendations developed under subparagraphs (C) and (D) of subsection (d)(1).

The Task Force shall terminate on the date that is one year after the date of the submittal of the final report under subsection (e)(2).

In this section:

The term appropriate congressional committees means—

(A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and

(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.

The term child wellness infrastructure means community-based environments intentionally designed to support children’s physical activity, play, and health. Such infrastructure may include playgrounds, outdoor learning spaces, nature play areas, and safe places for movement and social interaction.

The term public lands means any lands under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government or a State or local government.

The term youth means any individual under the age of 18.