mr. speaker , i rise to join many of my colleagues in strongly opposing the restrictive rule set forth on h.r. 554 , the `` the personal responsibility in food consumption act of 2005. '' as you know , in light of the world we live and the importance of nutrition , this is a very important piece of legislation . 
having such a restrictive rule truly goes too far and limits the protections of the american people . 
it goes without saying ; this bill is drafted so broadly , it would immunize defendants for negligent and reckless behavior , including mislabeling of food products . 
i also object to the fact that the legislation applies retroactively , and is written for the benefit of a single special interest -- the fast food industry . 
third , i believe the legislation constitutes an unwarranted and hastily considered affront on our system of federalism . 
in closing , let me note that while this issue may be important , there are far more urgent issues we need to be focusing on at this time . 
the aftermath of hurricanes katrina and rita , where thousands lost their homes and hundreds lost their lives . 
unfortunately , those who were impacted the most were children . 
for example , many children lost 1 or both parents or a guardian as a result of hurricane katrina and rita . 
this is where our thoughts and legislative actions need to be . 
in addition , the earthquake registering 7.6 in magnitude that struck pakistan has caused major devastation in the region . 
while the numbers are still coming in , it has been estimated that 23 , 000 have died and at least 47 , 000 have been injured . 
there have also been a historical number of children impacted by this massive earthquake . 
those impacted have no access to clean drinking water , making them more vulnerable to disease and other infections . 
