NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - March 28, 2005 - SGMA is on the campaign trail for physical education. That's the message SGMA and its member companies will deliver to members of Congress on May 3-4 during P.E.4LIFE's 5th Annual National P.E. Day(R) activities -- presented by SGMA International - in Washington, D.C.

The main lobbying day will be Wednesday, May 4. As in past years, the delegation of P.E. lobbyists will include sporting goods manufacturers, sports retailers, association leaders, friends of the industry, and well-known sports celebrities. Last year, some of the more prominent sports personalities included tennis great Billie Jean King, former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, and boxing champ James Leija.

There will be a Welcome Reception on Tuesday, May 3 - from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Cabinet Room of the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel (1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C.). That will be followed by the P.E.4LIFE Awards Dinner - from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the East Room of the Mayflower.

During the lobbying efforts on "the Hill," attendees will be in small groups, with each group meeting that day with U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators. These efforts are to garner their support for the Carol M. White Physical Education for Progress (PEP) Bill. By day's end, the goal is to conduct more than 100 meetings with Representatives, Senators, and their staffs.

The PEP program provides grants to school districts and community-based organizations to upgrade local physical education programs. PEP grants can be used to purchase sports equipment and train teachers in innovative physical education techniques. In the past, PEP grants have been used to purchase heart rate monitors, fitness assessment technology, inline skates, climbing walls, cross country skis, treadmills and fly fishing rods, as well as a wide range of traditional sports equipment.

For a historical glance at the PEP Bill - Congress has passed this legislation in recent fiscal years for the following amounts:

2005 -- $74 million
2004 -- $69 million
2003 -- $60 million
2002 -- $50 million
2001 -- $5 million

Eighteen PEP grants were given in 2001, 176 grants in 2002, and more than 200 local school districts and community-based organizations received PEP grants in 2003, 2004, and 2005. While the trend of increased allocations reflects growing support for PE, severe budgetary constraints, brought on by war and homeland security spending, is threatening discretionary funding for programs, such as PEP, which is a mandate for a strong National P.E. Day lobbying effort on Capitol Hill this year.

In President Bush's Fiscal Year 2006 budget, he has proposed a $19 million cut in the PEP Bill - from $74 million in FY 2005 to $55 million in FY 2006. The President proposes that the PEP Bill be cut from the federal budget altogether by FY 2008 because he wants to allocate the funds to "other priorities."

"While the industry is pleased to see that the President has included the PEP Bill in his current budget, the industry will be lobbying quite aggressively for the PEP Bill for this year and in future years," said SGMA President Tom Cove. "The value of the PEP Bill can be measured in ways beyond the funds. The existence of the bill sends a message to communities across this country that daily physical education is a priority for our school children."

"The great thing about this lobbying process is that SGMA teaches each lobbyist the points they need to make in each meeting with Congress," said SGMA Chairman Tom Rogge (President; Cramer Products; Gardner, KS). "If you've never participated in a lobbying effort, now is a great time to start."

The lobbying activities on May 4th will conclude with a Celebration Reception at the ESPN Zone (555 12th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.) from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

To participate in National P.E. Day lobbying activities, please contact SGMA's Washington office at 202-775-1762 or EMAIL. Register Online

To make P.E.4Life Awards dinner/hotel reservations, access Dinner Reservations . If you have any questions, please call Carrie Gibson at 816-472-7345.