Virginians for a Healthy Future Coalition Legislative Update Conference Calls

What: Update of the status of all smoke-free legislation

When: Every Friday during the 2009 Session
Friday, January 16
Friday, January 23
Friday, January 30
Friday, February 6
Friday, February 13
Friday, February 20

Time: 2:00 pm

Call in number: 1-800-353- 1667 (number for this week only)
Passcode: 334679

Will GOP finally air smoking bill?

VIRGINIA Republicans are desperate to win back the suburban voters who lifted the party to prominence in the 1990s only to abandon the GOP for moderate Democrats in recent years.
Suburban voters have just one question for Republican lawmakers: What problem have you solved for us lately? That’s a real chin-scratcher, but Republicans know they had better come up with an answer pretty fast or they could lose next year’s gubernatorial election and forfeit their majority in the House of Delegates, the GOP’s final toehold in state government.
There’s a catch. Building roads and schools for fast-growing suburban communities takes a lot of money, and cash is in short supply now. There aren’t many problems that can be solved gratis, but there is one. To read more of the story in the Virginian Pilot: http://hamptonroads.com/node/489077

Web Site Offers Information on the Smoking Status of all Restaurants in Virginia

The Office of Environmental Health Service’s restaurant inspection Web site (www.healthspace.ca/vdh) now provides information on the smoking status for all fast food and full service restaurants in the Commonwealth. The information is provided by locality. Non-smoking facilities are identified with a distinctive icon. A non-smoking designation means that smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the restaurant but may be permitted outside. The addition of smoking status helps the public become well-informed food service consumers. The Web site is updated following inspections by environmental health specialists. It enables the public to monitor ongoing compliance with the food safety requirements and the current smoking status in their favorite restaurants. This Web site has been very popular with the public and the media averaging more than 90,000 visits (1.7 million hits) per month since its inception in May 2003.

Bad News for Smoke Free Legislation

ABC/ Gaming Subcommittee Votes to Kill Smoke Free Air Bills Passed in the Senate With an unrecorded voice vote, the members of the House of Delegates ABC/Gaming subcommittee of the General Laws committee voted to kill the smoke free air bills that passed in the Senate.

The full General Laws committee will not have the opportunity to vote on the bills.

Despite this disappointing vote, the Virginians for a Healthy Future Coalition remains committed to advocating for smoke free indoor air.

With over 88% of Virginians agreeing that all workers should be protected from secondhand smoke, there is obviously strong support for the legislation and we will continue to remind our elected officials to listen their constituents and support smoke free indoor air legislation in the future.

Take Action & Other Information from Smoke Free VA Now!

Are you ready to take action to let your legislators know that you support smoke free air?Tell your legislators that you want a smoke free Virginia now!

Want to join the movement?
Have your organization sign the Smoke Free Virginia Now! resolution to become a campaign supporter, or join the Virginians for a Healthy Future coalition.

Want to discuss the latest news?Visit our Smoke Free VA Now! blog

State Smoking...

Governor will ban smoking in all state buildings - (10/27/2006)
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=113337&ran=89364
RICHMOND - State workers who want to take a puff on the job will have to get their nicotine fix outside . . .

Promising strategy for smoking ban - (11/27/2007)
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=137618&ran=219300
It's not easy to get the attention of lawmakers when they're all huddled together under the Capitol . . .