AP Analysis: Mississippi hasn’t ignored obesity issue

Analysis: Mississippi hasn’t ignored obesity issue

Mississippi usually tops most rankings for the unhealthiest or fattest states, but lawmakers can’t be accused of ignoring the problem.

Over the years, they’ve passed numerous bills to address obesity, ranging from healthy school lunches to government-funded gastric bypass surgery for state employees.

The latest effort is a proposal to create a council dedicated to studying ways to combat obesity. House Public Health Committee Chairman Steve Holland, a Democrat from Plantersville, who filed the bill, said the group will be expected to “lay a blueprint” for the next decade. The measure has passed the House and Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk.

AP
4/3/1