Resource
Proactive Legislation
Publication Date: 1988-06-27
This internal memo, downloaded from the Tobacco Institute (TI) documents web site, discussed opportunities for "proactive legislation" in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. The memo noted that "approximately three-fourths of Coloradans reside in areas where county or city smoking restriction ordinances are in effect." The memo noted that the Colorado Restaurant Association was pushing for a statewide law, and noted, "There is no question that a statewide 'Clean Indoor Air Act' with moderate provisions is an alternative much more desirable than the status quo in Colorado. Enactment of such a statute should be vigorously pursued not only for the uniformity it would provide; but also because it could institutionalize certain smokers' rights and dramatically weaken one of the strongest statewide GASP organizations in the country." The memo noted that such a bill would likely be referred "to House Local Government Committee (consistently favorable to tobacco interests) ... assuming Speaker Bev Bledsoe is reelected. A friendly member of this committee (identified well in advance -- Rep. Bill Owens is a good possibility) could offer a substitute bill with desirable provisions with a good chance of having it adopted and passed out of committee." The memo stressed the need to have trade organizations, rather than the tobacco industry, as the bill's primary sponsors. The memo stated, "Publicly, the tobacco industry should express the position that no smoking restriction law is desirable. If pressed, they should acknowledge that uniform regulation throughout the state is preferable to the state of confusion which now exists. Privately, our lobbyists would of course encourage legislators' support of the substitute bill." In Kansas, the memo called for hiring ACVA Atlantic to conduct indoor air quality (IAQ) tests in the House and Senate buildings, and to present the findings to the Kansas House and Senate Public Health & Welfare Committees. The memo stated, "This exercise should do much to sensitize key legislators to the IAQ issue and dampen enthusiasm for more restrictive smoking restriction legislation." The memo urged that efforts to pass a bill to preempt local clean indoor air laws in Missouri continue; noting that the Missouri legislative counsel was sympathetic to the tobacco industry.
Click on the link above to access the complete document in either TIF or PDF format.
