Clear the Air

The West Virginia Senate Health and Human Resources Committee today passed SB-362 which calls for increasing West Virginia’s tax on tobacco by $1 per pack for cigarettes (to $1.55 per pack) and to 50% of the wholesale price for all other tobacco pruducts.

The committee amended the bill as it was introduced by changing the dedication of revenues from the increased tax, estimated to be nearly $160 million, as follows:

- $50 million a yer for the West Virginia Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund, which funds Other Post-Employment Benefits, or OPEB;

- $40 million a year for West Virginia Medicaid;

- $6 million annually for tobacco control;

- $1 million a year for the West Virginia School of Public Health for five years;

Additional revenues would be split up, with 30 percent going to oral health improvement programs, 30 percent to substance abuse and prevention, 24 percent to in-home elderly care and 16 percent for early childhood development programming.

The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.

The House of Delegates also has under consideration a companion bill, HB-2973, which is currently awaiting action by the House Health and Human Resources Committee.

You can send an email message to all of your legislators in support of this important legislation through the American Heart Association’s “You’re the Cure” Advocacy Network by clicking here!

Legislation to increase West Virginia’s excise tax on tobacco products (SB-362) will be considered by the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee at 1pm today.

This legislation calls for increasing West Virginia’s tax on cigarettes by $1.00 per pack to $1.55 and also increase the tax on other tobacco products (cigars, snuff, snus, etc.) to 50 percent of the wholesale price of the product.

As introduced, these bills also call for dedicating $27 million to tobacco prevention and education programs as recommended for West Virginia by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids , studies and experience in state after state show that higher cigarette taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking among both youth and adults. Every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.

Passage of the proposed increase in West Virginia would result in 19,100 young people being saved from becoming lifetime smokers, 13,100 current adult tobacco users would quit and 9,500 premature dealth from tobacco-related illnesses would be prevented.

Legislators need to hear from their constituents that they should support this legislation this year!

The tobacco tax legislation will be voted on TODAY by Health and Human Resources Committee members and it is important that you contact Senate  NOW and ask that they support SB-362.

Contact information for Senate HHR Committee members is as follows:

Senator Ron Stollings - Chair - (304) 357-7939 - ron.stollings@frontier.com

Senator Dan Foster - Vice-Chair - (304) 357-7866 - daniel.foster@camc.org

Senator Truman Chafin - (304) 357-7808 - truman.chafin@wvsenate.gov

Senator Evan Jenkins - (304) 357-7956 - evan.jenkins@wvsenate.gov

Senator William Laird - (304) 357-7849 - william.laird@wvsenate.gov

Senator Ronald Miller - (304) 357-7959 - ronald.miller@wvsenate.gov

Senator Corey Palumbo - (304) 357-7880 - corey.palumbo@wvsenate.gov

Senator Roman Prezioso - (304) 357-7961 - roman.prezioso@wvsenate.gov

Senator Gregory Tucker - (304) 357-7906 - greg.tucker@wvsenate.gov

Senator Mark Wills - (304) 357-7843 - mark.wills@wvsenate.gov

Senator Jack Yost - (304) 357-7984 - jack.yost@wvsenate.gov

Senator Donna Boley - (304) 357-7905 - donnaboley@suddenlink.net

Senator Mike Hall - (304) 357-7901 - delegate200@hotmail.com

Make your voice heard and call or email these legislators TODAY and urge their support of SB-362!

A public hearing on HB-2973, which would increase West Virginia’s tobacco tax, has been schedule for Wednesday, February 16th at 9:00 a.m.

The public hearing will offer tobacco control advocates the opportunity to express their support of a tobacco tax increase with a dedication of a portion of the revenue to tobacco control efforts in the state. The hearing will be held in the House Chamber.

The House Health and Human Resources Committee will take up HB2973 which would increase West Virginia’s tobacco tax.

This legislation calls for increasing West Virginia’s tax on cigarettes by $1.00 per pack to $1.55 and also increase the tax on other tobacco products (cigars, snuff, snus, etc.) to 50 percent of the wholesale price of the product.

As introduced, these bills also call for dedicating $27 million to tobacco prevention and education programs as recommended for West Virginia by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids , studies and experience in state after state show that higher cigarette taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking among both youth and adults. Every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.

Passage of the proposed increase in West Virginia would result in 19,100 young people being saved from becoming lifetime smokers, 13,100 current adult tobacco users would quit and 9,500 premature dealth from tobacco-related illnesses would be prevented.

Legislators on this committee need to hear from their constituents before the 4p.m. meeting on Wednesday, February 9th they should support this legislation!

Contact information for committee members is as follows:

Delegate Don Perdue - Chair - (304) 340-3269 - don.perdue@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Barbara Hatfield - Vice-chair - (304) 340-3140 -  bobbie.hatfield@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Larry Border - (304) 340-3136 -  larry.border@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Jonathan Miller - (304) 340-3147 -  jonathan@delegatejmiller.com

Delegate Anthony Barill - (304) 340-3173 -  anthony.barill@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Denise Campbell - (304) 340-3145 -  denise.campbell@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Thomas Campbell - (304) 340-3280 -  tcampbell@grcs.com

Delegate Ryan Ferns - (304) 280-7133 -  ryan.ferns@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer -  (304) 340-3169 -  barbaraf@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Tiffany Lawrence - (304) 340-3152 -  lawrencefordelegate@hotmail.com

Delegate Charlene Marshall - (304) 340-3900 -  charlene.marshall@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Cliff Moore - (304) 340-3189 -  clif.moore@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Ricky Moye - (304) 340-3162 -  rickymoye@wvhouse.gov

Delegate David Perry - (304) 340-3117 -  d.perry@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Linda Phillips - (304) 340-3163 -  linda.phillips@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Measha Poore - (304) 340-3248 -  meshea.poore@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Ralph Rodighiero - (304) 340-3154 -  ralph.rodighiero@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Margaret Staggers - (304) 340-3197 -  margaret.staggers@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Troy Andes -  (304) 340-3121 -  troy.andes@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Joe Ellington - (304) 340-3172 -  joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Eric Householder - (304) 340-3274 -  eric.householder@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Patrick Lane - (304) 340-3275 -  patrick.lane@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Carol Miller - (304) 340-3176 -  carol.miller@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Amanda Pasdon - (304) 340-3153 -  amanda.pasdon@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Ruth Rowan  - (304) 340-3157 -  ruth.rowan@wvhouse.gov

This bill will be taken up at the meeting on Wednesday, February 9th at 4:00 p.m. Phone calls to your legislators is prefered due to the short time we have to reach these members before they vote - but please CALL NOW and also FOLLOW-UP by email!

Join tobacco control advocates, activists and concerned citizens from throughout West Virginia as we take our message to the Capitol on Thursday, March 3rd. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your project, discuss your challenges with policy-makers and impact tobacco public policy in West Virginia.

Exhibition space is limited but still available and all participants must register no later than February 21st using the form attached here.

If you have any questions you can contact Cinny Kittle at 304-344-9744.

On Tuesday, June 10th, The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids released the findings of a public opinion poll showing the broad support by West Virginia voters for increasing the tobacco tax by $1.00.

Here is video from the press conference featuring Hersha Arnold-Brown of the American Cancer Society, Chuck Hamsher of the American Heart Association, Pete Fisher from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Nathan Henry from the Mellman Group who conducted the poll.

For more information, including details of this poll, visit the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia website.

Chuck Hamsher, CTFWV spokesperson and Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association, discussed raising West Virginia’s tobacco tax with former-Senator Bobbie Nelson on WRVC Radio in Huntington on Wednesday.

Listen to this via podcast by clicking here.

A coalition of state and national health advocates will release a new poll showing widespread support for raising the tobacco tax $1 to reduce youth smoking and generate new revenue for the state budget. The results will be announced at a news conference on Tuesday, June 8 at 2:00 PM.

WHO: Chuck Hamsher, American Heart Association; Coalition for a Tobacco Free West Virginia

Pete Fisher, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Nathan Henry, The Mellman Group, Inc.

WHAT: News Conference call to present poll findings.

WHERE: Governor’s Conference Room
State Capitol

WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 2:00 PM

Tobacco-Free Day at the Legislature - January 19th
Annual Tobacco Control Advocacy Conference - January 19th - 20th

Education and action for citizens, activists and health professionals.

Presented by:
Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the
West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources, Department of Health, Division of Tobacco Prevention

Join citizens and activists from throughout West Virginia to plan, work and advocate for strong tobacco control policies.

Register online here: http://www.ctfwv.com/ctfwv_004.htm

On Friday, February 20th at 9:00 the House Judiciary Committee will take up consideration of H.B.2360 - Insuring that tobacco products are not sold in any packaging other than the original.

The purpose of this bill is to insure that tobacco products are not sold in any packaging other than the original factory wrapped package and to insure that cigarettes are not sold individually.

Delegates Patti Eagloski Schoen & Don Perdue

This legislation was introduced by Delegate Schoen and Delegate Perdue and would prohibit the sale of tobacco products in any form other than an original factory wrapped package; require that cigarette packages shall not contain fewer than twenty cigarettes, and; prohibit any person or business entity from selling single cigarettes (”loosies’) or packages of cigarettes that do not display the federally mandated health warnings.

Any person or business found guilty of any of these provision would be charged with a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined $250.

Some of these provisions had been contained in the original Master Settlement Agreement but have since expired.

The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia has endorsed this legislation and is urging its passage.

Tags: tobacco control, West Virginia Legislature, youth access