mr. chairman , the purpose of this amendment today is two-fold : one , to protect young children and , two , to force better accountability from the fast food industry . 
my amendment exempts those 8 years of age and under from the provisions of this bill as it relates to fast food restaurants . 
mr. chairman , in 2001 the u.s. surgeon general proclaimed childhood obesity a health issue rivaling cigarette smoking . 
the surgeon general further stated that the rate of overweight children in america doubled in the past 20 years and tripled among its adolescents . 
but apparently few here in washington seem to have taken notice or cared , and predictably rates have continued to rise across the country . 
today , one in three children is overweight . 
yes , mr. chairman , i said one in three , almost 35 percent . 
and what has been congress 's response to the growing epidemic ? 
has it provided more funding for obesity awareness or tried to implement programs to improve nutrition in schools ? 
no . 
instead , congress brings forwards a bill to immunize fast food companies . 
where is the logic ? 
those supporting the bill talk about choice , the freedom to eat . 
well , we are talking about young children and , of course , we want them to eat correctly , healthy , and that is not the primary responsibility of the fast food industry . 
childhood obesity is best tackled at home through improved parental involvement , increased physical exercise , better diet and restraint from eating . 
however , as a parent , as a grandparent , as a former educator , i know that these practices alone when we are dealing with young children are insufficient . 
we will never control this rising epidemic without greater accountability from the food industry . 
congress is headed in the wrong direction with this bill which removes any and all incentives from the food industry to improve their products for children . 
congress has allowed the greed of big corporations to come before the need of our children . 
today , the younger generation faces a litany of health issues that generations before just never did . 
heart disease , high blood pressure , hypertension , joint problems , asthma , diabetes and cancer are on the increase with these young children ; and a steady diet of fast food is the last thing they need . 
unfortunately , fast food restaurants are bombarding our children with advertisements that encourage overconsumption of unhealthy eating choices . 
the average child views 20 , 000 television commercials every year . 
that is about 55 a day . 
more disturbingly , the commercials for candy , snacks , sugared cereals and other food with poor nutritional content far out-number commercials for more healthy food choices . 
so it is not just a matter of individual responsibility , of individual choice when we are talking about young children under 8. studies indicate that these children are more susceptible to advertising and even less likely to understand the purpose of this advertising . 
so why is so much advertising at home done during the cartoon hours ? 
it is no coincidence that major fast food chains routinely run their advertisements during this time . 
experts in this field unequivocally state that the fear of litigation and regulation prompts the industry to rethink how it markets and sells food to children . 
this has been evidenced by some of the recent changes made within the industry . 
unfortunately , the bill as presently written forecloses the opportunity to hold the industry accountable and thus puts any future improvements in jeopardy , assuring continued high rates of childhood obesity , leaving me to wonder whether we in congress are here to represent the people or big business . 
the bill is entitled personal responsibility in food consumption act . 
personal responsibility is a two-way street : both the consumer and the executives of the industry , both should act in a personally responsible manner . 
so i ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment to hold fast food companies accountable and to protect our young children . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
