| For Immediate Release September 13, 2006 |
Contact: Jennifer Friedman 202.296.5469 |
New Hampshire Voters Take A Stand For Right to Breathe Clean Air by Electing Jim Fitzgerald
Statement of William V. Corr, Executive Director, Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund
Washington, DC - By choosing Jim Fitzgerald over Robert Boyce in yesterday's District 4 Republican State Senate primary, New Hampshire voters have taken a stand for the right of all workers and families to breathe clean air. Granite Staters have confirmed their overwhelming support for smoke-free workplaces by ousting Robert Boyce, who has blocked efforts to make New Hampshire smoke-free, and choosing State Representative Jim Fitzgerald, who supports the smoke-free law and protecting the health of all New Hampshire citizens. Fitzgerald will now face a Democratic challenger for the seat in November.
The Republican primary results underscore the strong public support for smoke-free laws that protect everyone from the serious health harms of secondhand smoke. In the weeks leading up to the primary, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund launched an independent, direct mail and voter contact campaign to educate New Hampshire voters about the clear contrast between the records of Jim Fitzgerald and Robert Boyce when it comes to fighting tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The campaign highlighted the fact that Jim Fitzgerald voted in favor of a statewide smoke-free workplace law as a member of the House of Representatives in 2006, while Robert Boyce voted against the smoke-free bill as a member of the Senate. The life-saving legislation was killed in the State Senate by a one vote margin.
We will continue our efforts in the coming weeks to educate New Hampshire voters about other candidates' positions on the smoke-free law because the need for protection from secondhand smoke has never been clearer. In issuing his groundbreaking report on secondhand smoke on June 27, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults."
The Surgeon General found that secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. The Surgeon General also found that secondhand smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year and that there is no risk-free level of exposure.
The Surgeon General's report also confirmed that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. To date, 14 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii (effective Nov. 16), Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington (the Montana and Utah laws extend to bars in 2009, while the DC law does so on January 1, 2007).