Providing for Consideration of H.R. 554, Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act of 2005

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 554, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FOOD CONSUMPTION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - October 18, 2005)

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me this time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, this rule, House Resolution 494, will allow the House to take up a bill limiting civil liability for the food and restaurant industry from obesity lawsuits.

We have already debated this legislation once. We now have precious few legislative days left on the calendar and an ever-expanding list of legislative priorities, yet the majority leadership has decided to take up a bill that preempts a handful of obesity lawsuits that are already being effectively handled in the courts. Given that, is this really the most pressing issue facing the American people? The courts are working fine. This bill is simply unnecessary.

Here is just a short list of issues we might be addressing today: The debt, the trade deficit, Iraq, housing for Katrina victims, the bird flu, port security, border security, nuclear plant security, and energy independence. I am sure the American people would appreciate a debate on any of those issues over what we are doing today.

In touting the merits of H.R. 554, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have cited the need for American people to take responsibility for what they eat and how they live. I very much agree. However, I would respectfully submit that maybe it is also time that Congress starts taking some responsibility for the challenges facing the American people. The disconnect between the content of this legislation and the concerns of our constituents would be humorous if it were not so disturbing.

Mr. Speaker, obesity is one of the great health epidemics in the United States, and as today's debate will show, it continues to go ignored. If you talk to any health professional in the country, whether it be the Director of the National Institutes of Health or a nurse at a local clinic, they will tell you that our health care system is on an unsustainable path, especially when it comes to obesity.

Obesity is the number one preventable cause of death in America. According to the RAND Corporation, obesity will account for 20 percent of all health care costs by 2020 if we do not change course. This challenge demands responsible, forward-looking leadership.

As Members of Congress, we need to take personal responsibility for the trajectory of the health care system in the United States. It would be cheaper to prevent this train wreck now than to wait for obesity to overwhelm the capacity of our health care system. Our citizens are hungry for leadership, and they are not getting any.

The obesity epidemic in the United States should spur this Congress into action. Since 1980, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled among preschoolers and adolescents. Obesity among children ages 6 to 11 has more than tripled. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of being overweight as adults, facing higher risks for many diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

I recently visited a dialysis center in my hometown of Sacramento, California, earlier this year. Many patients there had diabetes. Mr. Speaker, diabetes is a terrible disease. In its late stages it limits terribly one's quality of life. We need to be doing more to prevent it. We just do not need another cheeseburger bill. What we need is a debate about health care, about prevention, and about our priorities.

Two-thirds of all Americans are obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control, health care costs related to obesity are costing us more than $117 billion annually and much more in damage to our citizens' quality of life. We should not accept this fate for so many of our Nation's children. Dealing with obesity by talking about tort reform does just that, it says that Congress is more concerned about the industry than it is about the long-term health of our Nation and of our children.

No serious policymaker believes that we can turn this tide with a few half-hearted calls for Americans to exercise more. This is going to take real leadership, real investment. It will take a relentless campaign to educate our citizens, along with public pressure to recognize the importance of this issue. It will mean taking a hard look at whether our public schools are up to the test in terms of offering nutritious meals and physical education classes for everyone. It means asking whether industry advertisers are targeting children and, if so, setting strict marketing guidelines.

In the short-term, the easy path is to dodge this whole debate, to pass this tort reform measure and walk away from the discussion. The harder path and the more responsible one would be to deal with the crisis that is here today and the even bigger crisis we all know is coming. I for one am ready for that discussion. I hope my colleagues are.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that today's legislation is not the answer. Certainly it is not about addressing the larger issue, obesity, and its impact on the American health care system.

This legislation demonstrates the blind eye the majority leadership is turning to the very real challenges Americans are facing today. Regardless of what happens with this legislation today, America's health care system will still be in dire need of responsible leadership. The American people deserve an honest discussion.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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