See it, Print it, Send it. Protect Smoke-Free Illinois

Dear Advocates,

As you may know, the Illinois General Assembly convened for their fall Veto Session last week. Usually veto session in Springfield is uneventful. But last week we saw the casino gaming industry flex its muscles at the Capitol, ramming House Bill 1846 through the House Executive Committee. This cynical proposal would allow casinos to ignore smoke-free protections that apply to every other public and work place in our state.

Clearly, allowing smoking in casinos would harm the health of workers and patrons alike and would make casinos all but off limits to customers with cardiovascular problems. But by opening up the law to exemptions, House Bill 1846 could also lead to an unraveling of the overwhelmingly popular and effective Smokefree Illinois Act.

With the help of advocates who took action on our alert last week, we managed to win a small battle by keeping the legislation from a final vote by the full House of Representatives! There is no question that having time to debate this measure in the light of day clearly benefits public health over casino avarice. But the war continues, and the bill could be voted on by the full House as soon as the legislature returns after Thanksgiving. We hope we can continue to count on your help!

Please follow the steps below to ask your legislators to keep Illinois smoke-free.

See it! Here is a link to a recent letter to the editor from one of our volunteers: View AHA Letter to the Editor

Print it! And please write a personal note to your Illinois State Representative suggesting they read the letter from the paper. Don't forget to tell your state representative:"Vote NO on House Bill 1846 to keep Illinois 100% Smoke-Free to protect ALL workers and patrons!"

Mail it! Please fax or mail your note and a copy of the letter to the editor to your state representative. Follow the link below to find your State Representative's contact information :http://tinyurl.com/FindMyLegislator

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Any potential weakening of the smoke-free law would once again put Illinois citizens at a higher-risk of heart disease and other chronic health conditions. If you haven't already, remember to contact your representative by following the link below.

Tell your Representative to vote "NO" on House Bill 1846!