Saturday, February 25, 2012
MISSISSIPPI SMOKE-FREE AIR ACT OF 2012
Link to HB892
Link to SB2713
These bills would:
Enact a smoking ban which includes electronic cigarette use in the definition of smoking, and would ban vaping anywhere smoking is prohibited.
Two bills have been introduced into the Mississippi State Legislature which would include the use of electronic cigarettes in the definition of smoking. They have been referred to the Standing Public Health Committees.
Please call, write or fax the members of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee and House Public Health and Human Services Committee listed below.
(When writing to the Senate, refer to SB2713, when writing to the House, refer to HB892.)
What to say:
1. You would like them to amend Section 3, definition of "Smoking" to replace the last sentence of the definition with this text, "The term does not include the use of an e-cigarette or any other type of smoke-free product.".
Encourage them to also remove [paragraph (o) for HB, paragraph (p) for SB] of Section 2 because it grossly misrepresents the findings of FDA's laboratory test, which confirmed that e-cigarettes don't emit any tobacco smoke and contain nontoxic constituents, with similar trace levels of nitrosamines as found in nicotine gums and patches, and far lower levels than most smokeless tobacco products (none of whose usage would be banned by the proposal).
2. Tell your story on how switching to an e-cigarette or smokeless tobacco has changed your life.
3. Explain how electronic cigarette use is easy to distinguish from actual smoking. Although some e-cigarettes resemble real cigarettes, many do not. It is easy to tell when someone lights a cigarette, from the smell of smoke. E-cigarette vapor is practically odorless, and generally any detectable odor is not unpleasant and smells nothing like smoke.
4. Let them know that vapor does not behave in the same manner as smoke. There is no "side stream" vapor like the side stream smoke coming from the lit end of a cigarette. There is also no ash or litter. With so little evidence of use, enforcing indoor use bans on electronic cigarettes would be nearly impossible.
5. Inform them that the ability to use electronic cigarettes in public spaces will actually improve public health by inspiring other smokers to switch. Surveys of thousands of users indicate that the majority of those who switch, completely replace tobacco cigarettes with the electronic cigarettes, reducing their health risks by 98-99%.
6. Tell them that by switching to a smokeless product, you have greatly reduced your health risks.
7. Direct them to the CASAA.org website for more information.
Contact information:
Mississippi State Capitol
P. O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
House Public Health and Human Services Committee email lists:
Semi-colon separated email list
smims@house.ms.gov; tbarker@house.ms.gov; baldridge@house.ms.gov; cbrown@house.ms.gov; kcampbell@house.ms.gov; bclark@house.ms.gov; mcoleman@house.ms.gov; ccrawford@house.ms.gov; bcurrie@house.ms.gov; ddebar@house.ms.gov; jevans@house.ms.gov; gflaggs@house.ms.gov; efhamilton@house.ms.gov; jhines@house.ms.gov; jhood@house.ms.gov; khoran@house.ms.gov; bhowell@house.ms.gov; hlott@house.ms.gov; bmayo@house.ms.gov; kmcgee@house.ms.gov; tmiles@house.ms.gov; bmoak@house.ms.gov; jread@house.ms.gov; rrushing@house.ms.gov; bshows@house.ms.gov; jsmith@house.ms.gov; jupshaw@house.ms.gov; pwatson@house.ms.gov; lwhittington@house.ms.gov
Comma separated email list:
smims@house.ms.gov, tbarker@house.ms.gov, baldridge@house.ms.gov, cbrown@house.ms.gov, kcampbell@house.ms.gov, bclark@house.ms.gov, mcoleman@house.ms.gov, ccrawford@house.ms.gov, bcurrie@house.ms.gov, ddebar@house.ms.gov, jevans@house.ms.gov, gflaggs@house.ms.gov, efhamilton@house.ms.gov, jhines@house.ms.gov, jhood@house.ms.gov, khoran@house.ms.gov, bhowell@house.ms.gov, hlott@house.ms.gov, bmayo@house.ms.gov, kmcgee@house.ms.gov, tmiles@house.ms.gov, bmoak@house.ms.gov, jread@house.ms.gov, rrushing@house.ms.gov, bshows@house.ms.gov, jsmith@house.ms.gov, jupshaw@house.ms.gov, pwatson@house.ms.gov, lwhittington@house.ms.gov
Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee email lists:
Semi-colon separated email list:
dkirby@senate.ms.gov; hbryan@senate.ms.gov; dblount@senate.ms.gov; tburton@senate.ms.gov; ncollins@senate.ms.gov; mflowers@senate.ms.gov; hfrazier@senate.ms.gov; aharden@senate.ms.gov; jharkins@senate.ms.gov; bhopson@senate.ms.gov; gjackson@senate.ms.gov; kjones@senate.ms.gov; rparks@senate.ms.gov; wsimmons@senate.ms.gov; tsmith@senate.ms.gov; msojourner@senate.ms.gov; gtollison@senate.ms.gov; bturner@senate.ms.gov; bwiggins@senate.ms.gov
Comma separated email list:
dkirby@senate.ms.gov, hbryan@senate.ms.gov, dblount@senate.ms.gov, tburton@senate.ms.gov, ncollins@senate.ms.gov, mflowers@senate.ms.gov, hfrazier@senate.ms.gov, aharden@senate.ms.gov, jharkins@senate.ms.gov, bhopson@senate.ms.gov, gjackson@senate.ms.gov, kjones@senate.ms.gov, rparks@senate.ms.gov, wsimmons@senate.ms.gov, tsmith@senate.ms.gov, msojourner@senate.ms.gov, gtollison@senate.ms.gov, bturner@senate.ms.gov, bwiggins@senate.ms.gov
House Public Health and Human Services Committee
Sam C. Mims, V (R) Chair
(601)359-2430
(601)684-0281 (H)
smims@house.ms.gov
Toby Barker (R) Vice-Chair
(601)359-2436
(601)307-3802 (H)
tbarker@house.ms.gov
Brian Aldridge (R)
(601)359-3373
(662)842-0401 (H)
(662)841-5833 (W)
baldridge@house.ms.gov
Cecil Brown (D)
(601)359-3330
(601)362-8383 (H)
(601)982-4123 (W)
cbrown@house.ms.gov
Kimberly Campbell Buck (D)
(601)359-2418
(601)982-4277 (H)
(601)956-5771 (W)
kcampbell@house.ms.gov
Bryant W. Clark (D)
(601)359-4083
(662)834-4074 (H)
(662)834-6133 (W)
bclark@house.ms.gov
Mary H. Coleman (D)
(601)359-3336
(601)982-0496 (H)
(601)362-8105 (W)
mcoleman@house.ms.gov
Carolyn Crawford (R)
(228)452-5029 (H)
ccrawford@house.ms.gov
Becky Currie (R)
(601)833-5953 (H)
bcurrie@house.ms.gov
Dennis DeBar (R)
(601)394-4400 (W)
ddebar@house.ms.gov
James Evans (D)
(601)359-3349
(601)353-7464 (H)
(601)948-0517 (W)
jevans@house.ms.gov
George Flaggs, Jr. (D)
(601)359-3328
(601)630-8004 (W)
gflaggs@house.ms.gov
Eugene Forrest Hamilton (R)
(601)359-2461
(662)895-5765 (H)
(662)893-7400 (W)
efhamilton@house.ms.gov
John W. Hines, Sr. (D)
(601)359-4075
(662)335-9704 (H)
(662)334-9444 (W)
jhines@house.ms.gov
Joey Hood (R)
(662)547-9818 (H)
(662)285-4663 (W)
jhood@house.ms.gov
Kevin Horan (D)
(662)226-1817 (H)
(662)226-2185 (W)
khoran@house.ms.gov
Bobby B. Howell (R)
(662)262-7171 (H)
(662)262-4220 (W)
bhowell@house.ms.gov
Hank Lott (R)
(601)758-4265 (H)
(601)758-0800 (W)
(601)606-0800 (C)
hlott@house.ms.gov
Brad Mayo (R)
(601)359-2431
bmayo@house.ms.gov
Kevin McGee (R)
(601)829-9701 (H)
(601)939-4910 (W)
kmcgee@house.ms.gov
Tom Miles (D)
(601)732-9511 (H)
(601)469-7886 (W)
tmiles@house.ms.gov
Bobby Moak (D)
(601)359-2860
(800)595-6244 (W)
bmoak@house.ms.gov
bmoak@locnet.net
John Read (R)
(601)359-3338
(228)497-9852 (H)
(228)497-4090 (W)
jread@house.ms.gov
Randy Rushing (R)
(601)635-2044 (H)
(601)917-9504 (C)
rrushing@house.ms.gov
Bobby Shows (R)
(601)359-3338
(601)477-9225 (H)
bshows@house.ms.gov
Jeffrey C. Smith (R)
(662)327-0407 (H)
(662)328-2711 (W)
(662)328-0745 (F)
jsmith@house.ms.gov
Jessica Upshaw (R)
(601)359-4084
(228)255-6619 (H)
(228)867-6005 (W)
jupshaw@house.ms.gov
Percy W. Watson (D)
(601)359-3343
(601)544-6490 (H)
(601)545-1051 (W)
pwatson@house.ms.gov
Linda Whittington (D)
(601)359-2845
(662)658-1241 (H)
(662)455-2864 (W)
lwhittington@house.ms.gov
Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee
Dean Kirby (R) Chair
(601)359-3234
(601)932-1966 (H)
(601)939-5968 (W)
dkirby@senate.ms.gov
Hob Bryan (D) Vice Chair
(601)359-3237
(662)256-9989 (H)
(662)256-9601 (W)
hbryan@senate.ms.gov
David Blount (D)
(601)359-3232
dblount@senate.ms.gov
Terry C. Burton (R)
(601)359-3234
(601)683-7050 (H)
(601)683-6695 (W)
tburton@senate.ms.gov
Nancy Adams Collins (R)
(601)359-3226
ncollins@senate.ms.gov
Merle Flowers (R)
(601)359-3221
(662)349-3983 (W)
(662)349-3985 (F)
mflowers@senate.ms.gov
Hillman Terome Frazier (D)
(601)359-3246
(601)982-1871 (H)
(601)359-5957 (F)
hfrazier@senate.ms.gov
Alice Harden (D)
(601)359-3232
aharden@senate.ms.gov
Josh Harkins (R)
(601)209-8448 (C)
jharkins@senate.ms.gov
W. Briggs Hopson III (R)
(601)359-3237
bhopson@senate.ms.gov
Gary Jackson (R)
(601)359-3221
(662)547-6684 (H)
gjackson@senate.ms.gov
Kenneth Wayne Jones (D)
(601)359-3232
(601)859-3438 (H)
(601)859-8844 (W)
kjones@senate.ms.gov
Rita Potts Parks (R)
(601)359-3252
(662)287-6323 (H)
(662)415-4793 (C)
rparks@senate.ms.gov
Willie Simmons (D)
(601)359-3237
(662)846-7434 (W)
(662)846-7011 (F)
wsimmons@senate.ms.gov
Tony Smith (R)
(601)359-3252
(601)749-4144 (W)
(601)569-0691 (C)
tsmith@senate.ms.gov
Melanie Sojourner (R)
(601)359-3250
(601)442-9664 (H)
(601)334-6729 (C)
msojourner@senate.ms.gov
Gray Tollison (R)
(601)359-3425
(662)234-7070 (W)
gtollison@senate.ms.gov
Bennie L. Turner (D)
(601)359-3237
(662)494-5061 (H)
(662)494-6611 (W)
bturner@senate.ms.gov
Brice Wiggins (R)
(228)696-9545 (H)
(228)324-3232 (W)
(601)510-9378 (F)
bwiggins@senate.ms.gov
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