Feb 26
HB2855, introduced today, would allow any bar or restaurant that serves alcohol in West Virginia to ignore local clean indoor regulations and permit smoking in their establishments. Passage of this legislation would remove protections in place already in every county in the state.
The proposed legislation has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Opponents of this bill should contact House Judiciary Committee members NOW by telephone urging them to vote NO on HB2855. Committee members are:
Delegate Webster - Chair
Delegate Miley - Vice-Chair
Delegate Ellem - Minority Chair
Delegate Lane - Minority Vice-Chair
Delegate Barker
Delegate Brown
Delegate Caputo
Delegate Ferro
Delegate Fleischauer
Delegate Frazier
Delegate Hunt
Delegate Hutchins
Delegate Longstreth
Delegate Michael
Delegate Moore
Delegate Shook
Delegate Susman
Delegate Tabb
Delegate Wells
Delegate Wooton
Delegate Hamilton
Delegate Overington
Delegate Schadler
Delegate Schoen
Delegate Sobonya
You can identify your members and their Capitol phone number by entering your zip code here. Legislators need to hear there is a large amount of grassroots opposition to this legislation.
Please make your phone call today - even if you do not personally reach your legislators leave them a message requesting that they OPPOSE HB2855.
Tags: 2009 Session, Action Alert, clean indoor air, West Virginia Legislature
Feb 26
The following tobacco-related bills were introduced today, Thursday, February 26th, in the West Virginia Legislature:
HB2855 - Permitting the holder of a license to sell nonintoxicating liquors to determine the use or nonuse of tobacco products on the licensees’ premises.
Bills are listed here for informational purposes only and no endorsement is to be implied. Clear the Air will review bills more in depth as they begin to move. To track these bills yourself visit the West Virginia Legislative website Bill Status page.
Tags: 2009 Session, bills introduced, clean indoor air, West Virigina Legislature
Feb 26
Today the West Virginia House of Delegates passed out Committee Substitute for HB2360 which prohibits the sale of cigarettes in anything other than its original factory wrapped packaging and only in packs of no fewer than twenty.
This bill previously had been amended by the House Judiciary Committee to remove all tobacco products other than cigarettes. While the bill has merit by addressing the issue of single cigarette sales the exclusion of other tobacco products from coverage under this legislation is disappointing. This is particularly true as the tobacco industry works to establish new products.
The bill now goes to the West Virginia Senate for consideration.
Tags: tobacco control, West Virginia Legislature, youth access
Feb 24
The following tobacco-related bills were introduced today, Tuesday, February 24th, in the West Virginia Legislature:
HB2773 - Increasing the monetary penalties for selling tobacco products to minors.
Bills are listed here for informational purposes only and no endorsement is to be implied. Clear the Air will review bills more in depth as they begin to move. To track these bills yourself visit the West Virginia Legislative website Bill Status page.
Tags: 2009 Session, bills introduced, West Virigina Legislature, youth access
Feb 23
The following tobacco-related bills were introduced today, Monday, February 23rd, in the West Virginia Legislature:
HB2746 - Raising the excise tax on cigarettes and all other tobacco products.
Bills are listed here for informational purposes only and no endorsement is to be implied. Clear the Air will review bills more in depth as they begin to move. To track these bills yourself visit the West Virginia Legislative website Bill Status page.
Tags: 2009 Session, bills introduced, tobacco tax, West Virigina Legislature
Feb 21
Percent decrease in youth smoking ~ 10.7%
Kids in West Virginia kept from becoming addicted adult smokers ~ 13,200
Current adult smokers in the state who would quit ~ 9,200
Smoking-affected births avoided over next five years ~ 2,700
West Virginia residents saved from premature smoking-caused death ~ 6,600
5-year health savings from fewer smoking-affected pregnancies & births ~ $4.6 million
5-year health savings from fewer smoking-caused heart attacks & strokes ~ $6.1 million
Long-term health savings in state from adult & youth smoking declines ~ $318.4 million
Projections are based on research findings that each 10% cigarette price increase reduces youth smoking rates by 6.5%, adult rates by 2%, and total consumption by 4% (but adjusted down to account for tax evasion effects). Revenues still increase because the higher tax rate per pack will bring in more new revenue than is lost from the tax-related drop in total pack sales. These projections are fiscally conservative because they include a generous adjustment for lost state pack sales (and lower net new revenues) from new smuggling and tax evasion after the rate increase and from fewer sales to smokers or smugglers from other states. Kids stopped from smoking and dying are from all kids alive today. Long-term savings accrue over the lifetimes of persons who stop smoking or never start because of the rate increase. All cost and savings amounts are in 2004 dollars.
Tags: tobacco control, tobacco tax, West Virginia
Feb 21
On Monday, February 23rd, the tobacco tax bill which was recommended by an interim committee will be introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates. The bill will call for a 65 cent per pack increase in the excise tax on cigarettes and a raise from 7 percent of the wholesale price to 14 percent for all other tobacco products.
The proposed legislation will be referred to the Health and Human Resources Committee and then to Finance.
The tax legislation is part of a package of bills recommended by Select Committee D after a year-long study of health care in West Virginia. Passage of the tax is essential to funding other proposed pieces of this package.
More importantly, raising the tobacco excise tax in West Virginia will reduce the number of young people who begin using tobacco products and will serve as a huge incentive for current tobacco users to quit. Research shows an overall 4 percent reduction in tobacco use with every ten percent increase in the price of the product.
Supporters of this bill should contact House members on Monday by telephone urging their support of the tobacco tax legislation (HB2746). You can identify your members and their Capitol phone number by entering your zip code here. Legislators need to hear there is a large amount of grassroots support to provide this important legislation the momentum it will need to be considered.
Please make your phone call today - even if you do not personally reach your legislators leave them a message requesting that they support the tobacco tax bill (HB2746).
Tags: 2009 Session, Action Alert, tobacco tax, West Virginia Legislature
Feb 20
The following tobacco-related bills were introduced today, Friday, February 20th, in the West Virginia Legislature:
SB312 - Requiring smoke-free medical facilities
HB2681 - Eliminating the food tax, increase the tax on nonintoxicating beer per barrel from $5.50 to $6.35, increase the tax on cigarettes to $1.35, increase the tax on noncigarette tobacco products from seven percent to fourteen percent, and to dedicate the first $5 million of revenue to the Department of Agriculture’s crop transition program.
Bills are listed here for informational purposes only and no endorsement is to be implied. Clear the Air will review bills more in depth as they begin to move. To track these bills yourself visit the West Virginia Legislative website Bill Status page.
Tags: 2009 Session, bills introduced, tobacco, West Virginia Legislature
Feb 20
This morning the House Judiciary Committee took up HB2360 and through a tobacco industry supported strike and insert amendment weakened the provisions of the bill.
The bill, as amended, now only prohibits the sale of cigarettes in anything other than its original factory wrapped packaging and only in packs of no fewer than twenty.
Stricken from the legislation was all references to any other tobacco products.
While the bill still has merit by addressing the issue of single cigarette sales the exclusion of other tobacco products from coverage under this legislation is disappointing. This is particularly true as the tobacco industry works to establish new products.
The bill now goes to the full House of Delegates for approval before it moves to the Senate.
Tags: tobacco control, West Virginia Legislature, youth access
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