SALEM, Ore. - There are currently no laws in Oregon requiring physical education for students, so how much P.E. kids get can vary from school to school.

But that may change if three bills currently pending in Salem win approval. The laws would require physical education through the eighth grade.

There is opposition to the measures from those who say the increase in P.E. will mean cutbacks in other programs.

Supporters, including sportswear apparel giant Nike, which is based in Oregon, say much of the cost of P.E. classes could be paid for by grants and that the benefits to kids far outweigh any negative points.

Julia Brim-Edwards, a public affairs spokesperson for Nike, says research shows that there is an income disparity between what kids get sufficient P.E.
 
"Low income kids actually have less access to P.E. than kids who are in schools where there's higher income kids," Brim-Edwards says.

Supporters also say they are pushing the bills in light of drastic increases in childhood obesity, which has doubled in the last 25 years.

High School coach Jeff Nordstrom says "'without physical education, the kids don't really tap into the psychology of what you're supposed to do on a daily basis with your brain."

Retired teacher Molly Guentzel agrees, saying "I think it's a terrible injustice for children, they need it, their minds need it as well as their bodies."

A similar bill to require P.E. passed in the Oregon Senate in 2005, but died in the House.

This year, lawmakers will also consider bills that require the state to collect information on how much P.E. is offered, and how well students are meeting physical education standards.