Press Releases

ADVISORY: Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation to Host Capitol Rally, Testify at Committee Hearings

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, Tobacco 21 Bill Up in House, Senate Committees

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, Hundreds of Residents to Rally; Funding Bills in House Committee

WHAT

This week, Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation will testify at several committee hearings and hold a Day at the Capitol rally urging lawmakers to prioritize tobacco prevention.

WHO

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of saving Minnesota youth from a lifetime of addiction to tobacco.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR FEB. 26 and 27:

Tuesday, February 26, 2019
2:30 p.m. – House Commerce Committee Hearing

WHAT: Hearing on Tobacco 21 (HF331) and including e-cigarettes in the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (HF349)

WHERE: State Office Building – Basement Hearing Room
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul

3:00 p.m. – Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee Hearing

WHAT: Hearing on Tobacco 21 (SF463)

WHERE: Minnesota Senate Bldg. – Room 1200
95 University Ave. W., Saint Paul

Wednesday, February 27, 2019
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. – Advocates parade from History Center (345 W Kellogg Blvd) to Capitol

11:00 a.m. – Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation Capitol Rally

WHAT: Nearly 400 Minnesota youth and advocates rally for tobacco prevention policies

WHERE: Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul

12:45 p.m. – House Health and Human Services Finance Division Committee Hearing

WHAT: Hearing on smoking cessation funding bill (HF350) and bill dedicating delinquent tobacco settlement funds to health (HF1058)

WHERE: State Office Building – Room 200
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul

FOLLOW: @smokefreegenMN, @ClearWayMN

MORE INFO:

Day at the Capitol Rally: Nearly 400 youth and other advocates from across Minnesota will rally to urge lawmakers to address tobacco addiction and “Keep Lungs Loud” as part of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation’s annual Day at the Capitol. Following the rally, which will feature speakers from the coalition and legislative champions, advocates will meet with legislators and encourage them to prioritize tobacco prevention this session.

Minnesota can do more to protect children from a lifetime of addiction and disease. The coalition supports bipartisan bills that will help Minnesota save lives and money, which are all up for hearings this week:

Tobacco 21 (SF463/HF331): Raising the tobacco sale age to 21 will help reduce youth smoking and save lives. Raising the tobacco age to 21 is all about keeping e-cigarettes and other tobacco products out of middle- and high-schools. To date, six states and more than 400 cities and counties across the country, including 23 in Minnesota have adopted Tobacco 21 policies. Passing a statewide bill would have a profound effect on health, reducing smoking among 15-to-17-year-olds by an estimated 25 percent. Tobacco 21 fact sheet.

Keeping Indoor Air Clean (SF462/HF349): Minnesotans expect and deserve clean indoor air. This bill expands the definition of smoking to ensure Minnesota’s statewide smoke-free indoor air law covers the use of e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited. E-cigarette fact sheet.

Funding for Tobacco Cessation Services (SF461/HF350): QUITPLAN® Services, the state’s free quit-smoking help program, is ending in 2020. Lawmakers must fund quit-smoking resources this year so there is no gap in help for Minnesotans who are trying to quit tobacco. If Minnesota does not fund a statewide service, it will become the only state in the nation not providing one. Cessation funding fact sheet.

Dedicating delinquent tobacco settlement funds to tobacco control (SF1029/HF1058): This bill states that if Minnesota is successful in recouping tobacco settlement fees from delinquent cigarette companies, a portion must be dedicated to health. Specifically, approximately $12 million a year of those settlement fees would be used for tobacco prevention and control. Since 2015, several cigarette brands have not been paying their required share of settlement fees to the state of Minnesota. Big Tobacco companies agreed to pay these fees in perpetuity as part of 1998 Minnesota Tobacco Settlement. Funding tobacco prevention and cessation fact sheet.

About Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of saving Minnesota youth from a lifetime of addiction to tobacco. The coalition supports policies that reduce youth smoking and nicotine addiction, including increasing tobacco prices, raising the tobacco sale age to 21, limiting access to candy-, fruit- and menthol-flavored tobacco, and funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Partners include: A Healthier Southwest, African American Leadership Forum, Allina Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association in Minnesota, Apple Tree Dental, Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota, Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Corporation, Becker County Energize, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, CentraCare Health, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, ClearWay Minnesota^SM,  Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio – CLUES, Dodge County Public Health, Essentia Health, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, HealthEast, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, Hope Dental Clinic, Horizon Public Health, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, ISAIAH, JustUs Health, LAAMPP Alumni, Lake Region Healthcare, Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative, Local Public Health Association of Minnesota, March of Dimes, Mayo Clinic, Medica, Meeker McLeod Sibley Community Health Services, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Cancer Alliance, Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Medical Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Oral Health Coalition, Minnesota Public Health Association, MN Association of Community Health Centers, MN Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Model Cities of St. Paul, Inc., NAMI Minnesota, North Memorial Health Care, NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Olmsted Medical Center, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, Perham Health, Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, Shift MN, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Steele County Public Health, Tobacco Free Alliance, Twin Cities Medical Society, UCare, Vision In Living Life “Change is Possible”,  WellShare International and Zumbro Valley Medical Society. Find out more at: smokefreegenmn.org.