We're sure you've all heard about the proposed Mississippi bill that would force restaurants to turn obese people away from restaurants with more than five seats. (Small cafes are exempt?) Basically, the state's department of health would set a definition for obese, and restaurant owners would have to refuse to serve food to people who fit the definition. If they didn't, they'd risk losing their permits. The interesting thing is that the representative who proposed the bill, Rep. John Read, is 5'11'' and 230 lbs., so he might run into some problems with the bill himself. Thankfully, another lawmaker has vowed to prevent the bill from ever getting to the floor:
A state lawmaker on Monday promised a quick death for a bill that would prohibit Mississippi restaurants from serving obese people.
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House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Steve Holland announced his intention to kill House Bill 282. The proposed legislation has outraged advocacy groups critical of the legislation and intrigued the national media.
"It's dead on arrival at my desk," Holland, D-Plantersville, said in a news release. "While I appreciate the efforts of my fellow House members to help curb the obesity problem in Mississippi, this is totally the wrong approach."
The bill filed by State Reps. Ted Mayhall, R-Southaven, John Read, R-Gautier, and Bobby Shows, D-Ellisville, would make it illegal for restaurants with more than five seats to serve people who are obese. The criteria for obesity would be set by the state Department of Health, and restaurants that do not comply would have their permits revoked.
The legislation has been referred to a subcommittee, where Holland said he will use a "pocket veto" to kill it. It would have advanced to his committee if it had survived.
We should also note that Mayhall, one of the bill's sponsors, declared Monday that he wasn't going to vote for the bill, that he didn't ever mean for it to become law, and that he just wanted to draw attention to the obesity problem in the state.
The complete boneheadedness surrounding this whole situation boggles the mind. Obesity is a big problem, and it is putting a strain on the state's Medicaid system, but the notion of banning obese people from restaurants .... unbelievable. Can you imagine some poor restaurateur trying to figure out who is obese and who isn't? Would health restaurants be exempt from the law? How would the state even go about enforcing this thing? And yes, there are lots of calories in restaurant meals, but there are also lots of calories in homemade meals and things that can be bought in grocery or convenience stores. This is just not the way to go about it.
At any rate, we're thankful that the bill will soon be dead, and we're hoping that no Florida lawmakers get any crazy ideas in their heads.
Miss. Law Would Ban Serving Obese Diners [New York Times]
Lawmaker: Obesity bill won't make it to floor [Clarion Ledger]