Mississippi politicians have proposed a bill that would prevent restaurants and other food establishments from serving food to anyone who is obese. Under the legislation, establishments that serve food would be monitored for compliance under the State Department of Health and violators could have their business permits revoked.
Here is the text of House Bill 282:
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An act to prohibit certain food establishments from serving food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the state department of health; to direct the department to prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese and to provide those materials to the food establishments; to direct the department to monitor the food establishments for compliance with the provisions of this act; and for related purposes. Be it enacted by the legislature of the state of Mississippi:
SECTION 1.
(1) The provisions of this section shall apply to any food establishment that is required to obtain a permit from the State Department of Health under Section 41-3-15(4)(f), that operates primarily in an enclosed facility and that has five (5) or more seats for customers.
(2) Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.
(3) The State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2008.
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If this bill manages to pass, can you imagine what would happen? Restaurants would have to have scales at their entrances to weigh you. Have a BMI of 30 or higher? You won’t be served. Also, here goes your privacy, because restaurants will have to keep records of their customer’s BMI counts.
Think this cuts a little too closely to your personal freedoms? Let the bill’s lead author, Representative W.T. Mayhall, Jr., know:
Capitol Address
W.T. Mayhall, Jr
P. O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
Home Address
W.T. Mayhall, Jr
8417 Cedarbrush Drive
Southaven, MS 38671
(662)393-2069 (H)
(901)734-9540 (C)
E-Mail:
7 comments ↓
This is the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard of, overweight people are discriminated against enough without the very people who should be protecting their rights trying to enact laws cutailing them!!!!
Does anyone else see a potential problem with putting skinny people in between fat people and food? This could get ugly.
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At least maybe prices would drop at the all-you-can-eat places. Why should my family have to pay four times as much as one person who gets more food than all of us put together?
[…] Too fat in mississippi? youll be banned from restaurants. Under a new bill proposed in the legislature, people considered obese by the state would no longer be allowed to eat in public restaurants and other food establishments. If the legislation passes, scales would be introduced at the entrances to restaurants Submitted: 3 days ago Category: Entertainment Submitter: RssFeed Website: awfulmarketing.com Report this link: Click here to report Comments: 0 […]
I’m not obese, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this goes against our civil rights! The right that says: “Right to equality in Public Places!” This is our free country, and no adult should be treated like a child in front of the whole world to see! It’s outrageous! Seems to be these men need to focus on education in MS. They’re the ones who make Ms. look bad, they are lawmakers and don’t even know our Civil rights as americans! what a shame! -Taliah 21
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