Nevada Residents: Urge your Legislators NOW to oppose proposed amendments to weaken the state smokefree law.

Publication Date: 2011-05-20

Nevada Residents: Urge your Legislators NOW to oppose proposed amendments to weaken the state smokefree law.  Vote expected Monday, May 23.

In 2006, Nevada voters like you overwhelmingly sent a message that the public should be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke when they passed they passed the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act.  While the Act wasn’t as strong as the ANR model which is designed to protect all workers from exposure to secondhand smoke, it was a step forward in Nevada back in 2006.

Now legislators are trying to weaken this law. Assembly Bill 571 amending the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act would result in further secondhand exposure, morbidity and mortality among workers and patrons.  The bill would expand the exemption for free-standing bars, and change the definition of these types of bars to say that food service doesn't have to be incidental to alcohol--so it could be interpreted to include restaurants.

Urge your Legislator to vote NO on AB571 and to any weak amendments that increase exposure to toxic secondhand smoke.

Take action right now by sending an email to the legislators on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Send your email to AsmWM@lcb.state.nv.us and urge the Committee members to respect the will of Nevada voters and VOTE NO on weakening the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. They need to hear from you immediately. 

Instead of weakening the Nevada Clean Indoor Air act passed by the voters, state legislators should be working to strengthen this Act and protect all workers from secondhand smoke.  There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and no Nevada workers should have to breathe toxic tobacco smoke on the job.