Friday, August 10, 2007

New Law Under Fire From Senate - Take Action!

URGENT!!!! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT SMOKE-FREE ILLINOIS LAW

Just last week, we mobilized you to help spread the word that Illinois’ new, life-saving Smoke Free Illinois must not be tampered with in the final hours of the Illinois legislative session.  Late last evening, this threat became more dangerous than ever before, and we need your URGENT help once again.  Please take immediate action this morning.
 
The ink from the Governor's signature on SB 500 - The Smoke-free Illinois Act -- is still drying and yet the Casino Industry lobby and some Senators are once again maneuvering to pass an exemption for casinos for 5 years.  Only this time, they are trying to combine this measure with other, crucial, budget-related related votes.
 
The exemption comes in the form of Senate Floor Amendment #2 to HB 2035.  The American Cancer Society is strongly opposed to this amendment and is working hard to defeat it in the Illinois Senate.   The amendment passed out of the Senate Executive Committee on a vote of 7-1 against our opposition and is now on the Senate Floor ready for consideration.  It is essential that we prevent this amendment from being adopted.   
 
We testified in Committee and maintain that all workers -- including the over 9,000 Illinois casino workers -- deserve protection from the 69 carcinogens contained in secondhand smoke.    As you know, hospitality and gaming industry workers have a 20-30 percent higher risk of a diagnosis of cancer because of their intense exposure to secondhand smoke.   Furthermore, this constituency is oftentimes least likely to enjoy health insurance coverage.  
 
Please help us kill this hostile amendment to The Smoke-free Illinois Act and protect all workers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.   Call and email your Senator's Springfield Office this morning and ask them to, "Please vote NO on the casino exemption to The Smoke-Free Illinois Act.   All workers deserve to be protected from the 69 cancer-causing toxins in secondhand smoke."
 
To email your legislator and find your Senator's Springfield Office phone number go to this link http://www.ilga.gov/senate/. Or find out who your senator is go to http://www.acscan.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FindARep.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

What Does Smoke-Free Illinois Mean To You?

Now that all workplaces including bars, restaurants and offices are not going to have deadly secondhand smoke linger through the air, what does that mean to you?