PACT Notes

December 7th, 2018

This week Senator Mario Scavello (PA-40) released a co-sponsorship memo for Tobacco 21. He is actively looking for support in the Senate and plans to introduce legislation in the session starting in the new year. While PACT is still advising that advocates wait until the new year to start their legislative visits, if you have any connections with Senators you think might be interested in support please reach out to PACT and we are happy to connect them with Senator Scavello’s Office.
To view the memo click here.
Philadelphia City Council voted Wednesday to uphold regulations meant to reduce the number of tobacco retailers, a move cheered by public-health officials as a critical step in reducing youth smoking.
To learn more click here.
Pennsylvania’s revenue watchdog is predicting state lawmakers will have to fill a sizable budget hole for the next fiscal year. That means after an easy, pre-election budget deal this year, the smooth sailing may be over. IFO Director Matthew Knittel said revenues for this year are still coming in strong, maybe even higher than initially predicted. But even so, thanks to the one-time funds used in the last state budget, there will be gaps to make up. Knittel said even with no spending increase, the state’s largely tax-averse lawmakers will have to scrounge up almost $1.5 billion. He noted a lot of the biggest costs are mandatory expenses for federal programs, like Medicaid. And he said it won’t be easy to pay for everything without more revenue.
To view the article click here.
CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess trends in secondhand smoke exposure among U.S. nonsmokers age 3 years and older.
To view the study click here.
This is a reminder to mark your calendars for the Pennsylvania Advocacy 101 Training webinar, scheduled for December 12th, 2018 at 11:00 am! All new advocates are strongly encouraged to attend in order to receive the most up-to-date and consistent information on the basics of advocacy for this fiscal year. Please share this information out to all service providers, coalitions, and community stakeholders.
This is a reminder that this year’s Day at the Capitol will be held on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019 at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg! Please mark your calendars and share with community partners.
Registration information will be provided in the upcoming weeks. If you have questions, please contact Sarah Lawver.
PA General Assembly Upcoming Session Days
2019 SENATE SESSION SCHEDULE
January           1, 15, 16, 28, 29, 30
February         4, 5, 6
March             18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April                8, 9, 10, 29, 30
May                1, 6, 7, 8
June               3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
2019 HOUSE SESSION SCHEDULE
January          1, 15, 16, 28, 29, 30
February        4, 5, 6, 19, 20, 21
March            11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April               8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30
May               1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23
June              3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

PACT Notes

PACT Notes – December 21, 2018

PACT Notes – December 21, 2018

A new study found that increases in adolescent vaping from 2017 to 2018 were the largest ever recorded in the past 43 years for any adolescent substance use outcome in the U.S.

In just one year e-cigarette use among youth has skyrocketed, increasing by:
90% among 12th graders
96% among 10th graders
74% among 8th graders

PACT Notes – December 14, 2018

PACT Notes – December 14, 2018

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1998 legal settlement between the states and the tobacco companies, which required the companies to pay more than $200 billion over time as compensation for tobacco-related health care costs.

The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use – the nation’s No. 1 preventable cause of death – and to confront the growing epidemic of youth e-cigarette use in America. In Pennsylvania, 8.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, while 11.3 percent use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 22,000 Pennsylvania lives and costs the state $6.3 billion in health care bills annually.

PACT Notes – November 30, 2018

PACT Notes – November 30, 2018

The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health released an article in the Journal, Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Their study found that people living with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke cigarettes than people without these conditions, and are also likely to smoke more often, be more dependent on nicotine, have stronger withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit, and be overall less successful in quitting. This study shows that cigarette smokers with mental health conditions had increased quit attempts after reporting having seen the TV ad featuring Tips participant Rebecca, a former smoker living with depression.