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Anti-Obesity Laws - 2003In New York state, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D) has proposed six anti-obesity bills, including one that would tax not only fatty foods, but also modern icons of sedentary living - movie tickets, video games and DVD rentals - and use the resulting $50 million for nutrition and exercise programs. Americans have been getting heavier for three decades, and with the extra weight has come serious medical consequences, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney failure. Until recently, weight remained the province of physicians, diet gurus and women's magazines. But now, fiscal imperatives have thrust the issue onto the public policy agenda, triggering a debate between those who view girth as a matter of personal choice and those who argue that the societal toll has made obesity a government problem. "Obesity is the fastest-growing disease in America," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "If we're really interested in holding down medical costs and improving the health of citizens, we have to do something about obesity." So far, state lawmakers have filed more than 140 bills aimed at obesity, nearly double the 72 filed last year, said Deirdre Byrne, policy associate at the National Conference of State Legislatures. For full article, see: Short Articles About Obesity and Overweight
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