Our Smoke-Free bill is on life support, but you can help give it a new life. The good news is that the smoke-free proposal has been passed by a House committee. The bad news is that it contains many weakening changes. We need your help to change the bill and restore it to its original intent.
Click here to tell your lawmaker to amend HB 5!
You’ve helped us get this far, now is not the time to turn back. It is still possible to pass a strong law by amending it on the House and Senate floor, but the clock is ticking.
The current version of HB 5 is unacceptable in several ways including:
-It would provide a loophole to many businesses including most bars. Hospitality and bar workers who work in smoky environments are 50% more likely to get heart disease or lung cancer than those who work in smoke-free environments. These workers would be left out!
-It wouldn’t cover counties with a population less than 115,000. Why should workers in Dallas, Houston, and Austin be protected but not those in smaller communities? 226 counties and 5.3 million people would be left out!
-It wouldn’t allow local communities to strengthen their own city ordinances. We believe in a statewide law that would give basic protection to workers, but feel local communities have a right to pass stronger laws. This would prohibit cities from doing just that.
Please tell your lawmaker to amend HB 5 and make all of Texas Smoke-Free, not just some of it. Go to www.SmokeFreeTexasNow.org to take action and share that site with friends and family.
Sincerely,
Brian Bowser
Grassroots Coordinator
Heart Disease and Stroke. You’re the Cure.
Friday, May 8, 2009
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