Breathe Free DC Update
In the last several months, some promising events have occurred in the campaign to make Washington, DC a smoke-free city.
Legislative Campaign
As you may recall, on May 17, Councilmember Kathy Patterson, along with Councilmembers Sharon Ambrose, Kwame Brown, Adrian Fenty, Vincent Gray, and Phil Mendelson, introduced Bill 16-293, the "Department of Health Functions Amendment Act of 2005." This legislation is similar to the New York City smoke-free law. Councilmembers David Catania and Jack Evans co-sponsored the legislation and the legislation was referred to the Committee on Health, which Councilmember Catania chairs. This is the first time that smoke-free legislation has been referred to a committee that the chair is supportive.
During the months of July and August, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (TFK) and the other coalition partners continued our grassroots efforts in educating the residents of the District of Columbia about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. ACS CAN ran ads on 10 major radio stations in Washington, DC. The radio ads ran from July 1 through July 15 educated the public about the health effects of secondhand smoke. During the same period we also placed internet banner ads on the WashingtonPost.com website. Between August 15 and August 31 ACS CAN and TFK sent out over 100,000 pieces of mail about the importance of smoke-free legislation to registered voters in the District of Columbia. In addition to these media, we also had volunteers in the filed all summer educating voters, and collecting petitions and postcards directed at our targeted Councilmembers
On September 22, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Health convened a hearing on Bill 16-293. Three ACS CAN volunteers testified in support of the legislation. Then, on October 26, the committee passed Bill 16-293, which would make all indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants, smoke-free as of January 1, 2007 by a 3-0 vote.
Smoke-free Ballot Initiative Court Case
On Monday, October 10, the Smoke-free Initiative appeal was placed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on the December 2005 Regular Calendar for argument.
Conclusion
The campaign is pleased to announce that on January 4, 2006, the DC Council gave final approval of Bill 16-293 by an 11-1 vote, adding the nation's capital to a growing list of smoke-free cities including New York City, Boston and Los Angeles. This smoke-free legislation would apply immediately to all restaurant dining rooms and would be extended to bars, nightclubs, taverns and the bar areas of restaurants in January 2007.
To visit Breathe Free DC go to http://www.breatheeasydc.org