ACS rally at the Capitol could pressure a smoking ban vote in the Senate

The much needed and popular workplace smoking ban that passed the House last month may see some action in the Senate this week, based on events in the Capitol in Lansing this week.

That event is the American Cancer Society’s annual Celebration at the State Capitol set for Tuesday. The stated mission of the annual celebration is to “encourage state legislators to make cancer a number one priority,” and smoking and secondhand smoke, the leading causes of cancer, are always major targets.

The more than 600 volunteers will spend the entire day at the Capitol, and the day includes a morning rally, groups of constitutes visiting their Representative and Senator, a Relay For Life event on the lawn of the State Capitol and a closing ceremony. Although registration for the event is already closed because of so many people signing up, you can still come out and show your support.

There is little but politics stopping this bill from going forward. The deadly and harmful effects of secondhand smoke is undisputed, and the evidence from the 38 other states and numerous foreign countries with a ban and new studies that demonstrate a ban will not hurt a bar or restaurant’s business debunks the final argument for implementing a ban.

But the push to get the bill a vote in the Senate over the objections of Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, has been won by the overwhelming support of those voters who support a ban, and they have been relentless in their advocacy.

It’s events like Tuesday’s ACS rally that really demonstrates to lawmakers the support this smoking ban has, and Tuesday’s event may again tip the scales toward a vote in the Senate.

ACS Bus Tour will make a stop Downriver to fight against smoking

For those pushing for healthy, smoke free air, increased cancer research and quality health car for all Americans, an opportunity to show your support for those worthy goal will come Thursday when the Fight Back Express Bus Tour will be making a stop in Southgate from 1-1:30 p.m. Thursday as part of six-month, 48-state tour carrying the message "We’ve waited long enough. It’s time for Michigan to go smoke free in 2008."

The bus will stop at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 14805 Dix-Toledo Rd., where State Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, will speak briefly and a brief ceremony honoring Carrabba’s commitment to smoke free dining will be held. All supporters of clean, healthy air should come out and show their support for the ban and urge the Michigan Legislature to take up and pass House Bill 4163 that will ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.

The Fight Back Express Tour is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, and the tour kicked off in Ohio in early May and will travel across the 48 continental United States through Election Day, Nov. 4. The ACS CAN Fight Back Express is a mobile action center. At each bus stop, visitors will have the chance to share their story with their local lawmakers through the Picture A Cure program.

HB 4163 than bans smoking in workplaces failed to get enough votes to be approved and sent to the governor last month, despite getting a majority of votes. The vote was to concur with the Senate passed version of HB 4163 approved in May that had no exceptions to the bill. It needed a majority of those 110 members elected and serving - 56 votes - to pass, but it only passed 50-49 with 10 not voting and one abstaining. The bill is expected to be taken up in the Lame Duck session following the election.

Smokefree proponents push to get ban in place before election break

LANSING – With just one week left in the Michigan legislative session before the summer break, proponents of the workplace smoking ban, including bars and restaurants, are making one last big push to get a clean smoking bill to the Governor.

The Campaign for Smokefree Air placed print ads in the state’s largest circulation newspapers urging lawmakers to pass a clean smoking bill that has no exceptions or so-called "carve outs." They are also urging members to contact their legislator, as well as House Speaker Andy Dillon, to urge them to act.

As you recall, the Senate passed House Bill 4163 in May that had no exceptions. But the House punted and passed a vehicle bill, HB 5074, that banned smoking in workplaces with exceptions, including non-Native American casinos, bingo-halls and so-called “cigar bars.” The House still has 4163 to act on, and supporters are asking the House act on that bill. The Senate has also not indicated if it will act on HB 5074.

The Senate was spurred into action in May after sitting on the bill for months by a report by the leading Lansing research firm Public Sector Consultants Inc. called “Smokefree workplaces: The Impact of House Bill 4163 on the Restaurant and Bar Industry in Michigan” that concluded there is no net economic impact on bars and restaurants.

The coalition is also saying the same thing for casinos. According to statistics provided by Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, a year after Delaware implemented comprehensive smokefree legislation, state revenue from gaming increased by 3 percent to $5.7 million. According to the California Board of Equalization, California’s bars, casinos and gambling clubs continue to profit since going smoke free in 1998, and sales increased from $8.64 billon in 1997 to $11.3 billon in 2002. Since the Massachusetts smokefree law went into effect, net keno sales have increased $121,000 per year.

Casinos that are not smokefree have up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles in the air than highways and city streets jammed with diesel trucks in rush hour traffic. A recent study of 17,000 gamblers in Las Vegas found that four out of five gamblers do not smoke. No one can explain how one in five people can carry so much weight and have so much more money than the rest of us.

The decision to create the carve outs came out of fear that the three Detroit casinos will lose business to the Native Americans casinos that do not have to ban smoking. Again, no one has explained how such as small group – only 21 percent of the state’s population smokes – control so much money or why they have so much power. It also makes no sense that with gas costing more than $4 per gallon, why any sane person would drive 160 miles – the distance from the Detroit casino – to the nearest Native American casino just to smoke a cigarette. It is easier to drive to Windsor where casinos are smoke free, and many people do so, in spite of the congested Ambassador Bridge and the passport hassles.

To contact your state Representative, go to www.house.mi.gov to find your representative’s email, fax or mailing address, and a mass email to supporters are urging them to send the ad as an attachment. You can also call the American Cancer Society at 1-888-NOW-I-CAN today and ask to be transferred directly to your state Representative.

Action on smoking ban bill could come soon

After more than a decade of stalling and obstruction, Michigan may soon join the 33 other states that have banned smoking in workplaces.

A vote on House Bill 4163 that bans smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, could occur in the Senate as early as Thursday. The issue really picked up steam after a study released last month by Public Sector Consultants proves that smokefree laws have no negative impact on the bar and restaurant industry. The American Cancer Society has issued a mass e-mail urging supporters to contact their state Senator to ask them to pass the bill that ensures every worker and customer is able to breathe clean air.

The ACS has established a toll free number to help supporters reach their Senator. You can call 1-888-NOW-I-CAN and ask to be transferred to your senator's office to urge their support of a comprehensive smokefree workplace law that includes bars and restaurants. It’s also a good idea to contact Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop to urge him to allow the bill to move forward and to vote for the bill. He can be reached toll-free at (877) 924-7467. Bishop, at the urging of the Michigan Restaurant Association, has kept the bill bottled up in committee. It’s unclear if the bill will be discharged from Bishop’s Policy on Government Operations and Reform directly to the floor, or if it will be voted in the committee. The committee has not met this session.

Subscription only MIRS reported the Senate Republican caucus met Tuesday to talk about the bill, but no word on the outcome has leaked out.

By calling the toll-free number, an ACS representative can tell you who your state senator is and can transfer you directly to the senator's office where you can leave a message with the staff member who answers the phone. Your message can be as simple as "I am a constituent of the senator and I am asking for their support of a comprehensive smokefree law that includes bars and restaurants." Please leave a message even if you reach voicemail.