| Trenton, NJ— As two New Jersey Assembly committees prepare to hold a joint hearing on legislation to close the casino smoking loophole on March 9th at 10:00am in Trenton, a majority of members of the two committees are now co-sponsors of A2151. Eight of 12 Assembly Health Committee members, and four of seven Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee members, are co-sponsoring the bill.
“We’re thankful to the members of the committees for supporting this critical legislation that will protect our lives,” said Pete Naccarelli, co-leader of Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects. “We casino dealers are the workers most exposed to this poison and cannot even turn our heads because we’re watching over chips on the table. We’re looking forward to the hearing next week and moving closer than ever to gaining the same protections that every other worker in New Jersey enjoys.”
“We welcome the support of a majority of members from these two important committees as well as the several other members who recently signed on as cosponsors to the legislation. These lawmakers are joining a large, bipartisan coalition of supporters who agree that 17 years is beyond long enough for workers to suffer,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “It is critical that this legislation receive a vote as soon as possible so that casino workers are no longer forced to choose between their health and their paycheck.”
Assembly Health Committee Members Who Are Co-Sponsors (8 of 12)
- Assm. Herb Conaway (D), chair
- Assm. Daniel Benson (D)
- Assm. Sadaf Jaffer (D)
- Assm. Angelica Jimenez (D)
- Assm. Nancy Munoz (R)
- Assm. Shaniqua Speight (D)
- Assm. Sterley Stanley (D)
- Assm. Christopher Tully (D)
Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee Members Who Are Co-Sponsors (4 of 7)
- Assm. Annette Chaparro (D)
- Assm. Don Guardian (R)
- Assm. James Kennedy (D)
- Assm. William Sampson (D)
Lawmakers who have signed on as cosponsors to the bill in recent weeks include Assemblymembers Joseph Danielsen; Linda Carter; Beth Sawyer; Aura Dunn; Edward Thomson; William Sampson and Brandon Umba. State Senators Nicholas Sacco and Renee Burgess also recently cosponsored S264.
“I’m glad to join a majority of my colleagues in cosponsoring A2151 to close the casino smoking loophole,” said Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen. “No other industry is allowed to subject their workforce to breathing secondhand smoke and casinos should no longer be the exception. It is clear that this bill will pass with overwhelming support and we should hold that vote as soon as possible.”
BACKGROUND
Last month, Atlantic City casino workers and a coalition of public health advocates testified during a hearing before the New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee. The casino industry was notably absent from the hearing and Local 54 bussed in workers from Philadelphia and threatened some of their Atlantic City-based members to get on a bus to Trenton or risk losing their job.
New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act took effect on April 15, 2006 – but included an exemption for casinos. Legislation to eliminate the casino smoking loophole has earned more cosponsors than most other bills this legislative session in Trenton. S264 and A2151 are identical bills that “[e]liminates [the] smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health released a new report on secondhand smoke, which examined air quality in Las Vegas casinos. The report, entitled, “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Your Lungs,” evaluated particulate matter – an indicator for secondhand smoke – in casinos that are smokefree indoors, and compared the results to casinos that allow smoking. They concluded that prohibiting smoking throughout the entirety of a casino is the only way to prevent the harms of secondhand smoke.
For more background, please see this memo. |
