It’s a Wrap!

Brian Hummell

Arizona Government Relations Director

The Arizona Legislature closed shop for its regular legislative session – more than 20 days past the usual 100-day timeframe. As always, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and its volunteer advocates worked hard to convince lawmakers to make cancer a top policy priority this session. 

More than a hundred volunteer legislative advocates, legislators and visitors attended our annual ACS CAN Cancer Awareness Day at the Capitol on February 22 this year.  Most met with their lawmakers to discuss two major bills we pushed this session:

Legislation to raise the age for sale of tobacco products to 21 was approved by the House Health Committee, but blocked by the Chair of the House Commerce Committee.  We plan to make another run at this legislation next session.  We know that 95 percent of adult smokers started before they were 21, so it is imperative the tobacco sales age is raised to 21. Adolescents are still going through critical periods of brain growth and development, and they are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of nicotine.  A new study published in the journal, Pediatrics, found that the earlier youth are exposed to nicotine, the less likely they will be able to quit smoking.

Skin cancer prevention bill to prohibit indoor tanning bed use by minors made it through the full House, but could not get a hearing scheduled in the Senate. This is the fourth year we have tried to get this law passed. It’s discouraging because skin cancer rates have soared, making skin cancer the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States today. Worse yet, 1 in 9 high school girls use tanning devices in spite of the fact indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 59 percent.  We’re not giving up on this one!

Area of concern

A series of bills has passed and been signed by the governor that makes the citizens’ initiative process more complicated and expensive. The last three tobacco tax increases and Arizona’s smoke-free law were passed through citizen’s initiative, so these new laws could make it harder to put initiatives on the ballot.

Good news front

We were able to maintain level funding in Fiscal Year 2018 for the Arizona Well Woman HealthCheck Program. This means $1.37 million will continue to go toward breast and cervical cancer screenings for low income women across Arizona—an investment that continues to save lives.

What’s next? Protecting patients during federal health care reform

ACS CAN and its volunteers are deeply engaged on the federal front to ensure changes to the current health care law do not hurt cancer patients and survivors. With the Senate now expected to consider the American Health Care Act that was recently passed in the House, our cancer advocates are reaching out to senators Jeff Flake and John McCain to convey the critical need for Arizonans to have access affordable and adequate health care.

No doubt current law needs to be improved to address high out-of-pocket costs and limited insurer choice in some markets, but we challenge lawmakers to remember their commitment to their constituents to protect lifesaving health care, including those who struggle every day with chronic and other major health conditions such as cancer.

Please keep up-to-date on ACS CAN’s efforts here in Arizona by following our state Facebook and Twitter accounts or visiting our website.