VICTORY!!!

I have some bad news and some good news... Oh wait. Just good news. This legislative session was a success! Through effective activism on your part, the two bills we worked on this legislative session passed. They passed! That is a 100% record this session. Good job, y'all.

After a signature by the Governor, the following changes will be happening in Utah:
- HB 95: This restricts tobacco retailers to set up shop within 1,000 feet of community centers (schools, churches, parks, etc.). This will weaken Big Tobacco's efforts of drawing in youth to tobacco use at an early age, and will keep tobacco (and illegal drugs) farther away from places that youth may gather. Score.

- HB 245: This amends the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act to include hookah pipes and eCigarettes. That means hookahs and eCigs will not be allowed in any public building. And THAT means a big step in the direction of healthier and cleaner air in Utah.

Can you feel the power of your voice yet? I sure hope so. Well, as we heard in Spiderman: "With great power comes great responsibility." I think we all have a responsibility to write our legislators and thank them for supporting these bills.

Here is what to do:
1. Copy and paste THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES into your BCC line.
2. Put something like "Thank you for supporting tobacco prevention and Utah health this year!" in the subject line.
3. Write a few sentences about the victory and how thankful you are for their support.
4. Hit send!

5. *Optional, but recommended* Come to the capitol this evening to say thanks face to face! We are meeting in the rotunda at 5:30. You can get a free shirt!

Congrats again, everyone. How is that for #winning!?

Getting Closer...

I thought drama ended in High School. Then, I joined the political arena...

So, long story short: After an "enjoyable discussion" on the House floor, HB 245 passed on to the Senate! And if the Senate is anything like the House, we might want to do a little more educating to avoid any road blocks that may arise. Ready, set, go:

1. Copy and paste THESE EMAILS in the BCC line of your email.

2. Follow steps 2-5 from HERE. (Talking points, personal story, etc.)

It almost seems TOO easy...

Senate Emails!

Here are the emails for our beloved state Senate. Copy and paste the list into the BCC line (to avoid a long list of emails at the top of your message). Inform them that you are part of an organization (Project:1200) that represents people in their district.

***NOTE: Remove YOUR senator from the list and write a personally addressed message to him/her***

lrobles@le.utah.gov, bmcadams@le.utah.gov, gdavis@le.utah.gov, pjones@le.utah.gov, kmayne@le.utah.gov, waddoups@le.utah.gov, rromero@le.utah.gov, kmorgan@le.utah.gov, wniederhauser@le.utah.gov, aosmond@le.utah.gov, hstephenson@le.utah.gov, dthatcher@le.utah.gov, mmadsen@le.utah.gov, jvalentine@le.utah.gov, mdayton@le.utah.gov, curt@cbramble.com, pknudson@le.utah.gov, screid@le.utah.gov, achristensen@le.utah.gov, sjenkins@le.utah.gov, jwstevenson@le.utah.gov, jsadams@le.utah.gov, tweiler@le.utah.gov, rokerlund@le.utah.gov, lhillyard@le.utah.gov, kvantassell@le.utah.gov, dhinkins@le.utah.gov, coanderson@le.utah.gov, surquhart@le.utah.gov

Game On! HB245 Update

Alright folks,
HB245, the bill that includes eCigarettes and hookahs in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) has moved to the next stop. And it needs help moving forward!

Lets blitz the House with educational emails! Follow these simple steps:

1. Copy and paste THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES to the BCC line of your email.
2. Pick a couple talking points from the list below to share. (Feel free to add THIS IMAGE to your email to urge them to not repeat history. We have the evidence that nicotine is harmful.)
3. Share a personal story! Why is clean air important to you, your family, or community.
4. Ask them where they stand on the issue (if you hear back about this, please let us know!)
5. Send!

Easy, right? So lets do this!

(Oh, one last thing... Please send out a one lined email to THESE EMAILS [at bottom] thanking the legislators for voting yes on HB245 and passing it out of committee. Thanks!)

TALKING POINTS:

• HB245 is about protecting Utahns from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke and other toxins in indoor public places.

• Data show that hookah and e-cigarettes have a harmful impact on health. The World Health Organization, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others all delineate the risks of use and exposure to hookah and e-cigarettes.

• HB245 does not ban hookah or e-cigarettes or any class of product. It deals only with the use of emerging products in indoor public places. People can still buy, use, and smoke products, just not where their use will expose others.

• HB245 clarifies language in line with the intent of the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) to prevent secondhand exposure to toxins in the indoor public places that Utahns patronize every day. Without this bill, hookah and e-cigarette use will be allowed in all indoor public places from restaurants to libraries to healthcare facilities.

•  The UICAA prohibits tobacco smoke in indoor public places. It has since 1995. Further UICAA amendments passed by the legislature phased out smoking in bars and clubs in 2006 and 2007.

• The science is clear. Decades of research corroborate the fact that secondhand smoke is toxic.

•  Utahns support these protections. Preliminary data show an overwhelming majority of Utah adults support the Utah law that bans tobacco smoke in indoor public places, including restaurants and bars. More than three fourth of Utahns are in favor of banning tobacco smoke from hookah in the same locations.

• Cities, states, and countries all over the world are restricting exposure to hookah and e-cigarettes to protect health. Even India, the birthplace of hookah, has banned use in indoor public places, including use in so-called hookah bars. 

• The Indoor Clean Air Act must continue to protect Utahns from emerging products in the same way the Act has always protected the health of Utahns.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Lung Association recommend that tobacco smoke from hookahs be treated the same as smoke from other tobacco products and be prohibited in the same places.  

To learn more about these issues, read:

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/shs_hookah-e-cigarette.pdf

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/Hookah.pdf

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/E-Cigarette1.pdf

House Email Addresses

Here are the emails to the entire House of Representatives. Use them liberally! ;)

I will refer to this post when our bills reach the House floor. Just copy and paste the list to the BCC line (so they don't get a huge list of emails showing up at the top of the message). Make sure to write a special email to YOUR Representative specifying that you are their constituent. With the rest, that you are part of an organization - Project: 1200 - that represents people in their district.

Have fun!

rmenlove@le.utah.gov, leeperry@le.utah.gov, jdraxler@le.utah.gov,

dbutterfield@le.utah.gov, curtwebb@le.utah.gov, bgalvez@le.utah.gov,

ryanwilcox@le.utah.gov, gfroerer@le.utah.gov, jeremyapeterson@le.utah.gov,

dpitcher@le.utah.gov, bdee@le.utah.gov, rgreenwood@le.utah.gov,

pray@le.utah.gov, coda@le.utah.gov, bradwilson@le.utah.gov,

stevehandy@le.utah.gov, sbarlow@le.utah.gov, rogerbarrus@le.utah.gov,

jimnielson@le.utah.gov, beckyedwards@le.utah.gov, dougsagers@le.utah.gov,

sduckworth@le.utah.gov, jseelig@le.utah.gov, rchouck@le.utah.gov,

jbriscoe@le.utah.gov, dlitvack@le.utah.gov, briansking@le.utah.gov,

janicefisher@le.utah.gov, bdoughty@le.utah.gov, lwiley@le.utah.gov,

fredcox@le.utah.gov, nhendrickson@le.utah.gov, janderson34@le.utah.gov,

markwheatley@le.utah.gov, parent@le.utah.gov, csmoss@le.utah.gov,

ehutchings@le.utah.gov, jdunnigan@le.utah.gov, lhemingway@le.utah.gov,

toddkiser@le.utah.gov, jbird@le.utah.gov, wharper@le.utah.gov,

tcosgrove@le.utah.gov, seliason@le.utah.gov, mariepoulson@le.utah.gov,

kivory@le.utah.gov, lavarchristensen@le.utah.gov, derekbrown@le.utah.gov,

merlynnnewbold@le.utah.gov, greghughes@le.utah.gov, melbrown@le.utah.gov,

kraigpowell@le.utah.gov, jmathis@le.utah.gov, ksumsion@le.utah.gov,

ssandstrom@le.utah.gov, jeremyapeterson@le.utah.gov, bdaw@le.utah.gov,

keithgrover@le.utah.gov, cherrod@le.utah.gov, dsanpei@le.utah.gov,

blockhart@le.utah.gov, fgibson@le.utah.gov, mikemorley@le.utah.gov,

ppainter@le.utah.gov, billwright@le.utah.gov, cwatkins@le.utah.gov,

kaymciff@le.utah.gov, blast@le.utah.gov, evickers@le.utah.gov,

mnoel@kanab.net, vlsnow@le.utah.gov, dipson@le.utah.gov,

dmccay@le.utah.gov, cfrank@le.utah.gov

Hookahs!

Did you know:

A 45 - 60 minute hookah session exposes the smoker to approximately the same amount of tar and nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

So the question comes down to this: Why are we JUST NOW having the conversation of whether they should be included in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA)?

We have the opportunity to tell our legislators that health is more important than profit. The Administrative Rules Review Committee is going to be discussing this very topic tomorrow afternoon, and we need to let them see where the support lies. Here's the plan:

Today:
- Email the committee members (contact info below - if you wanna be hardcore, get their numbers and call them) and let them know how important it is to include Hookahs in the UICAA (fact sheet HERE).
- Tell your friends to email as well! This can save lives and money in the state of Utah, and the more people to help out, the more likely to have a positive affect on our state.

Tomorrow:
Show up to the Utah State Capitol no later than 12:30 for the meeting at 1. It will be in room C445. If you let me know TODAY that you will be attending, we will have a pin made for you to show your support! The most important thing is to be visible support, but if you want to be ultra prepared, you can try to speak to the legislators before or after the meeting and share personal stories and testimonies.

Let me be the first to thank you for your efforts in Tobacco Prevention, and your willingness to respond to this call to action. THANK YOU!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know at ProjectTwelveHundred@gmail.com

Thanks again!

Administrative Rules Review Committee
Member	E-Mail
Rep. Curtis Oda, Chair	coda@utah.gov
Sen. Howard A. Stephenson, Chair	hstephenson@utahsenate.org
Sen. Gene Davis	gdavis@utahsenate.org
Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson	nhendrickson@utah.gov
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart Speaker of the House	blockhart@utah.gov
Sen. Mark B. Madsen	mmadsen@utahsenate.org
Sen. Benjamin M. McAdams	bmcadams@utahsenate.org
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss	csmoss@utah.gov
Rep. Merlynn T. Newbold	merlynnnewbold@utah.gov
Sen. Michael G. Waddoups, Senate President	waddoups@utahsenate.org