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The American Lung Association of Oregon (ALAO) is a strong
voice on important local and state issues related to tobacco prevention,
outdoor and indoor air quality,
asthma, and other lung health topics. Prior to each
Oregon legislative session, ALAO develops legislative priorities through a collaborative
process involving the ALAO Board of Directors,
program staff, community partners, and suggestions of the ALAO membership statewide.
ALAO is a member of the Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon (TOFCO).
2010 Oregon Legislative Special Session
The 2010 Oregon Legislative Special Session has convened and the American Lung Association is working to improve prevent lung disease and improve lung health for all Oregonians. We are currently supporting the following legislation as we also keep an eye on legislation introduced by others that would weaken our position in the fight against tobacco use and ensuring healthy air.
Legislative Agenda:
Tobacco –
SB 1042: Provides counties the ability to set additional tobacco taxes on cigarettes.
LC 68: Housekeeping bill to clarify moist snuff bill passed in 2009 session.
Clean Air –
SB 1025: Provides for radon resistant new construction for public buildings and private residences and consumer notification regarding radon prior to the purchase of a new home.
Ongoing Legislative Positions –
TPEP Funding: ALAO supports full funding of the Tobacco Prevention and Education Budget. The Center for Disease Control recommends best practice State spending for Oregon of $43,000,000 where as the state actually spends $7,706,841.
Increase in the Cigarette Tax: Currently the Oregon cigarette tax is $1.18. ALA national recommends a cigarette tax of over $2.35.
DEQ Funding: ALAO continues to monitor and support budget funding for DEQ relating to air quality. This is a perennial position for ALAO in our support of the state department’s efforts to monitor and clean the air.
2009 Oregon Legislative Session
The 2009 Oregon Legislative Session has come to a close and we at the American Lung Association in Oregon made great strides for the lung health of all Oregonians!
Legislative Victories:
Tobacco control was, as it always will be, one of the greatest and hardest fought battles for ALAO:
HB 2136 Prohibits the distribution and sale of tobacco products from vending machines in areas accessible to youth.
HB 2135 Requires landlords to inform potential tenants, in writing, whether they may be exposed to secondhand smoke; gives the renter the power to make informed decisions about their living situation and protects landlords from potential renters wishing to back out of lease agreements.
HB 2672 Increases the tax of non-cigarette tobacco products, such as Snus, Orbs, and chewing tobacco and restricts the marketing of such products to prevent youth from starting to use them.
Beyond new legislation we were able to get passed, our biggest accomplishment was to successfully advocate for the continued allocation of state funds for the Tobacco Prevention Education Program (TPEP). In a time where almost all human services programs budgets were cut, TPEP will continue on with its great success of educating youth about the deadly effects of tobacco and giving those who wish to quit the support they need to do so.
Clean Air also saw great strides in Oregon this year with the passage of key legislation that will help the lung health of all Oregonians:
HB 2795 Requires all school buses with diesel engines to be retrofitted with certain engines and technology by 2017 or replaced by recently manufactured school buses by 2025.
SB 102 Creates a Heat Smart program within the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to provide grants to Oregonians to replace old wood-burning stoves with cleaner burning technologies to prevent exposure and release of fine particulate matter.
HB 2186 Creates a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for Oregon's transportation fuels to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline and diesel by 10 percent by 2020. The bill also gives the state Environmental Quality Commission the authority to go through a rigorous rulemaking process to adopt several other measures to reduce global warming pollution from transportation.
SB 528 Creates a reduction of field burning of grass seed and cereal grain crops in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton, and Lane Counties. Open field burning is eliminated in 2010 with exceptions for burning on steep terrain and for identified grass seed species.
The Fight Continues....
Even with all the success of the 2009 Session, we still have our work cut out for ourselves. In the coming years ALAO will continue to fight for:
-Increasing the cigarette tax to help prevent youth from beginning to smoke and increase funding for the Oregon Tobacco Prevention Education Program.
-Prohibiting the act of free sampling of all non-cigarette tobacco products to protect children and young adults from becoming addicted.
-Increasing awareness around the dangers of radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer and support legislation that would make radon testing and disclosure a part of real estate transaction and require radon resistant new construction in high risk areas.
THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP!
How you can help
Your involvement in this process is key. By signing up for the
ALAO TakeAction Network
you will be notified by email about pending legislation, the ALAO position on the bill,
specific action to be taken, suggested talking points and how to directly contact your
legislator. If you do not know your legislator, go to the
Oregon
State Legislature web site and fill out your address to find your state and US
legislators.
The American Lung Association of Oregon is also involved in public policy issues on the city and county level. Involvement of citizens locally is critical in achieving the policy objectives related to lung health. Examples include local laws governing the use of tobacco, access of tobacco products to minors, and the location of buildings that emit dangerous air pollutants (such as diesel bus sheds or industrial plants). Elected officials are much more likely to be responsive to constituents in these instances and public comment is crucial to the result of the decision-making process. Our TakeAction Network will notify you of policy decisions being make in your local area as well. Please sign up today.
Federal level policy issues are also a concern of the ALAO and its membership. State affiliates like the ALAO receive almost daily updates and requests for coordinated advocacy activities. This typically translates to letters, phone calls and emails to the Oregon Congressional Representatives. Communications from Oregon residents enhance the message that the ALAO is sending to our federal legislative delegation. Please refer to the ALA National website to review the issues being worked on by our parent organization. You can sign up for the American Lung Association National Action Network to take action on federal legislation.
For more information contact
TakeAction@lungoregon.org or call 503-718-6141.
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