[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H4588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




LOUISIANA STATE REPRESENTATIVE PATRICK WILLIAMS COMPLETES 226-MILE WALK 
                             TO BATON ROUGE

  (Mr. FLEMING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Louisiana State 
Representative Patrick Williams, who recently completed the 226-mile 
walk from Shreveport, Louisiana, a major city in my district, to the 
State capitol in Baton Rouge to raise awareness for autism and 
childhood obesity.
  Autism is a serious developmental disability in the United States, 
with one in 150 children likely to have some form of this disability.
  Representative Williams also brought attention to a serious factor 
affecting childhood obesity--nutrition in the home, especially among 
poor families.
  And let me say parenthetically that for every obese child, we very 
likely have a future diabetic.
  After completing his walk, Representative Williams made a promise to 
talk to Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote 
healthy eating in regards to food stamp recipients, as well as 
encouraging them to buy more fruits and vegetables.
  As a family physician, I couldn't agree more, and look forward to 
working with Patrick Williams to find solutions to both of these 
medical issues.

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