"We have to act now to prevent a ticking time bomb that will overwhelm our health-care system and resources in the coming years," said the chief sponsor of the measure, Brooklyn Democratic Assemblyman Felix Ortiz.

"The real tragedy is that most nutrition-related health problems are preventable, and we owe it to our children to give them the opportunity to become healthy, productive adults," said Ortiz, citing federal figures showing that nearly 300,000 deaths a year are linked to obesity.

* Who is sponsoring the bill: Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D- Brooklyn), who also sponsored last year's cell phone driving ban. * How much money would the new tax raise: "Tens of millions of dollars" annually, legislative aides said.