mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of h.r. 554 , the personal responsibility in food consumption act , and i thank the gentleman from wisconsin for moving this legislation to the floor . 
this legislation will help prevent frivolous lawsuits that allege that the consumption of lawful food products caused injuries resulting from obesity or weight gain . 
the food service industry employs some 11.7 million people , making it the nation 's largest employer outside of the government . 
however , this vital industry has recently come under attack by waves of lawsuits arguing that it should be liable for the misuse or `` over-consumption '' of its legal food products by others . 
it is common sense that individuals should take responsibility for their own dietary and eating habits . 
unfortunately , trial lawyers have ulterior motives for these lawsuits . 
they have made their intentions quite clear , calling the fast food industry the next tobacco . 
they estimate potential profits of $ 40 billion from obesity-related lawsuits . 
it is crucial that something be done to guard against these aggressive attacks . 
these ill-conceived lawsuits require businesses to devote hard-earned dollars to litigate unmerited claims . 
in order to help ensure that america continues to be a good place to do business , and to help create and maintain american jobs , it is important that we not allow opportunistic trial lawyers to extort money from legitimate companies . 
this bill also protects our nation 's farmers and ranchers from the potentially far-reaching effects of these lawsuits . 
american agriculture produces the safest , most affordable and abundant food supply in the world and should be protected from trial lawyers ' attempts to reach as far up the food chain as possible with unfounded claims seeking unjust enrichment . 
while preventing frivolous claims , this legislation would protect legitimate lawsuits . 
it would allow claims to go forward in several circumstances , including cases in which a state or federal law was broken . 
other types of food-related lawsuits not dealing with obesity would also be protected . 
the american public understands the importance of this effort . 
according to a recent gallup poll , almost 90 percent of americans oppose holding restaurant owners responsible for the diet-related health problems of regular fast food consumers . 
h.r. 554 is a common sense bill that will protect legitimate businesses from frivolous lawsuits , and i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation . 
