Yesterday in Madison, legislation was formally introduced that would make Wisconsin a smoke-free state. The new smoke-free bill was introduced by "It's Time to Breathe Free," a smoke-free coalition formed by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Smoke-Free Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Medical Society.
Wisconsin's three-way rivalry with Illinois and Minnesota is no secret, and currently Illinois and Minnesota are leading the Midwest's smoke-free movement with both states having already passed smoke-free bills out of each of their respective senates. Not to be outdone though, Wisconsin's "It's Time to Breathe Free," has received support from a remarkably diverse group of organizations. Among the organizations that have endorsed Wisconsin's smoke-free bill are the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, the Wisconsin Tourism Federation, the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association, the Wisconsin Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, the Association of Wisconsin Tourism Attractions and the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Here in Illinois, while SB 500 has gained tremendous momentum moving through the Illinois Legislature, there are still legislators from the districts bordering Wisconsin that have been reluctant to support the Smoke-Free Illinois Act. After witnessing the bi-partisan support shown yesterday at Wisconsin's press conference, the Illinois legislators who are still apprehensive about supporting Smoke-Free Illinois should re-examine their concerns.
It is clear that when Illinois goes smoke-free, our neighbors to the north won't be far behind. The support that Wisconsin's smoke-free movement has garnered is truly unprecedented. The Wisconsin Restaurant Association has already publicly come out in favor of smoke-free legislation and yesterday they held a lobby day in Wisconsin's state capitol to support Wisconsin's smoke-free bill. In addition, a recent poll shows that 64 percent of Wisconsin citizens support a comprehensive smoke-free law.
It's time for Illinois legislators to both acknowledge the need for a comprehensive smoke-free law, and to see that we aren't alone in the fight to eliminate secondhand smoke as a major public health threat. Statistics say that here in Illinois, roughly 2900 people die from exposure to secondhand smoke every year; in Wisconsin it is estimated that secondhand smoke kills more people every year than traffic accidents.
We wish Wisconsin the best of luck in their efforts, but let's not let them beat us out in the fight to breathe clean air!
To learn more please click the link below:
www.itstimewisconsin.org
The Smoke-Free Movement