New Jersey Legislative Priorities Announced

American Cancer Society
New Jersey 2011 State Legislative Priorities

Tobacco
Smoke-Free Casinos
The Atlantic City Casino gaming floors continue to be polluted by second hand smoke, because of state and local exemptions to the state’s Clean Indoor Air law.  Closing that health hazard loophole, and protecting employees and customers alike is a top priority.  The 75% no smoking standard is ineffective.

Restore Funding for NJ Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program (CTCP)
State funding for New Jersey’s CTCP program has been virtually eliminated in this year’s budget, reducing the necessary funding to help New Jersey smokers quit and keep young people from starting.  NJ is now one of a handful of states that spend almost no state dollars on tobacco control to fight the #1 cause of death and disease in the country.  The American Cancer Society is pressing to increase tobacco retailer licensing fees, to help support the anti-smoking efforts.

Combating Obesity
Shaping New Jersey
One-third of all cancer deaths in the United States can be attributed to physical inactivity, being overweight or obese. The American Cancer Society is working with the Shaping NJ Partnership on a comprehensive state plan to address the obesity epidemic in New Jersey.  We are serving on workgroups to implement the plan, including policy initiatives to follow.

Access to Health Care for NJ Residents
New Jersey is a leader in addressing needs of the uninsured, and the American Cancer Society strongly supported state and national efforts to reform the health system to ensure comprehensive quality cancer care for everyone, including adequate coverage for prevention, early detection and screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, rehabilitation and long-term care.  The ACS will fight in NJ to insure that the federal law is fully implemented in order to protect cancer patients through the continuum of care.

Medicaid Coverage for Smoking Cessation
The newly enacted federal law gives states the opportunity to expand smoking cessation benefits to all Medicaid recipients, not only pregnant women.  ACS will fight in NJ to insure that the full range of benefits is available to all Medicaid patients

NJ Cancer Education and Early Detection (CEED) Program
The existing NJ CEED program provides breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal cancer screenings to low-income uninsured New Jersey residents.  But it can meet only a fraction of the existing need, which has been growing during the current recession.  In addition, the program is not currently able to assure uninsured women and men who are diagnosed with colon cancer, and men with prostate cancer, that they will receive treatment.  The American Cancer Society will continue to fight to strengthen this program, as well as advocate to maintain state funding for NJ’s Comprehensive Cancer Plan.

Ban Teen Tanning Bed Use
In the summer of 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) raised the classification of UV-emitting indoor tanning devices to the highest level of cancer risk (Group1) “carcinogenic to humans.”  Scientific data now shows that tanning bed use under the age of 30 increases the risk of melanoma by 75%.  Therefore, the ACS will fight for legislation in NJ that bans tanning bed use for teens under the age of 18.