As members of the House of Representatives take to the floor Wednesday to vote on the Food Liability Reform Bill, there will be one conspicuous absence.
Representative Ric Keller (R-Fla.), the sponsor of the so-called "Cheeseburger Bill," is busy undergoing a medical procedure to install a loop monitor in his chest. The monitor will be used to track irregular heartbeats related to his recently diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia.
Will Keller be suing McDonald's for his malady?
Not likely.
Spokesman Bryan Malenius says, "The condition is non-cheeseburger related, and Rep. Keller is doing just fine. He is upbeat and itching to get out of his hospital bed."
Keller's Cheeseburger Bill will prevent overweight individuals from bringing obesity lawsuits against fast-food companies.
Earlier this year, Rep. Keller explained his reasoning for the bill.
"To fight obesity," he said, "we should use common sense in the food court instead of blaming others in legal court."
Malenius is confident the bill will pass through Congress and be signed into law later this year, but he notes that the bill does have its opponents.
"Obviously," he says, "the trial lawyers don't like it, and never will.
"In fact, the whole idea for the Cheeseburger Bill stemmed from the group that sued big tobacco and got a score of gigantic verdicts.
"The restaurant industry is the next set of deep pockets for the trial attorneys to go after; and since the restaurant industry is the largest private sector employer in America, we'd rather have them provide jobs and health insurance than fight frivolous lawsuits."
Rep. Keller will not be involved in any obesity lawsuits.
"I can confirm," claims Malenius, "that there are no plans to sue any of the many fast-food restaurants that he frequently patronizes. But he might stop ordering triple cheeseburgers and start ordering more chicken salads."
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