As a follow-up to last week’s public hearing, the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Health and Education is expected to vote today on the proposed smoke free legislation. The hearing will take place at 4 PM in the 3rd Floor East of the General Assembly Building. Please join us and show your support for a smoke free Virginia!
The beginning of session is always busy, and usually crazy. This year it’s been busier and crazier than usual! I have a LOT to catch up on blog-wise, and hopefully I’ll be able to as the week progresses. However, now that our legislation and patrons are “official,” I wanted to make the official blog announcement.
I’ll put the full text of the press release under the cut, or you can find a PDF here. We are so excited to be working with Senator Mary Margaret Whipple on SB 298 and Delegate Phil Hamilton on HB 500. Delegate Algie Howell and Delegate Harvey Morgan have also filed bills identical to SB 298, HB 572 and HB 821 respectively. As written, these bills represent strong, comprehensive legislation that would protect almost all Virginians from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
We couldn’t ask for better patrons moving forward. This campaign is really building into a movement, and it will be very interesting to watch these legislative efforts unfold over the next few months.
That’s right! The Smoke Free Virginia Now! campaign has launched a blog (http://blog.smokefreevanow.org). Our goal is to provide timely updates on what’s happening with smoke free policy in Virginia, links to relevant news and information, and hopefully, informed discussion.
Speaking of links to news, be sure to check out this great editorial from Sunday’s Virginian-Pilot (bolding mine):
“City councils representing far more than a million Hampton Roads residents now have asked for the right to snuff out cigarettes while dining out.
Many members of the legislature have been loath to ignite the ire of their benefactors in the tobacco industry.
But on such a compelling issue of public health, state lawmakers should side with their constituents. Secondhand smoke is a proven danger. That’s especially true for the servers, busboys and entertainers who work in the restaurants and constantly inhale the noxious odors.
This week, city councils in Chesapeake and Newport News voted to join the no-smoking push. Chesapeake surveyed its restaurants, and those that responded overwhelmingly said they preferred a ban.
The decisions in those two cities follow similar moves in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. According to census estimates, nearly 1.2 million residents live in these five cities. Given those numbers, state delegates and senators cannot ignore the push here and elsewhere in the commonwealth for smoke-free dining.”
Check back often (or better yet, add us to your RSS reader) and spread the word!