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Smoking
bill change bad for Key West
Thank you for keeping us
all up to date on the goings on with the Florida Legislature.
Specifically Rep. Ken Sorensen's bill 1297 and Sen. Geller's companion
bill 1348, affectionately known as the "Sloppy Joe's Bill." This is a
narrowly-drawn attempt to add an unconstitutional exemption to the
Florida Clean Air Act. On the eve of Relay for Life, a celebration of
cancer survivors and the strides in cancer research, Mr. Sorenson is
attempting to weaken the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act to specifically to
benefit Sloppy Joe's. One would think that the Legislature would have
much more important issues to address. The American Lung association,
American Cancer Society Fla. Chapter, and the American Heart Association
oppose these bills. The secondhand smoke from these bad bills could kill
more people, if expanded, than all the proposed cuts to health care for
Florida citizens. If passed, this precedent could lead to more
exemptions and more preventable deaths. We as a society pay through the
nose the increased health care costs associated with the preventable
diseases caused by second hand smoke.
To learn more about this
issue visit
www.lungaction.org and
www.cancer.org. Then call State Rep. Ken Sorenson at
(305)
853-1947 and Sen. Geller
at (850)487-5097 and Sloppy Joe's at (305) 296-2388. Tell them you are
opposed to any exemptions to the Fl. Clean Indoor Air Act. Tell them to
wake up and smell the clean air. Remind them that Amendment 6 was passed
by bipartisan 71 percent of Florida voters. The cancers, lung diseases,
lost health care dollars, and lost lives from secondhand smoke are
preventable. Lastly remember to get out and celebrate your local Relay
for Life Events.
Kathy Timberlake R.N.
Key
West |
