Texas Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso and Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston, both Democrats, are pressing for legislation that would phase in bans of trans fats in restaurant foods — a move they said would help fight obesity and reduce health insurance costs associated with it. It would place Texas alongside the state of California and New York City in banning the potentially hazardous fats.
The powerful Texas Restaurant Association signed on to support the legislation, and that will undoubtedly give it a boost in the Legislature.
Many of the group's 5,000 members are moving to get rid of trans fats anyway, said association general counsel Glen Garey. He said the association likes that the proposed legislation contains phase-in time for the law to take effect. Chain restaurants with 15 or more stores would have to comply by September 2010, and smaller restaurants with fewer than 15 locations would have until September 2011.
