Breaking News

Cancer Legislation

President Vetoes Cancer Funding Bill - House Falls Just Short of Override

"On November 15, the US House of Representatives fell 2 votes short of overriding President Bush's veto of the Labor Health and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bill which includes money for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Prevent Cancer Foundation, along with many other groups in the cancer and broader health community, has advocated for a 6.7 percent increase over the next three years that would bring funding up to their 2004 levels based on biomedical inflation. 

Throughout the fiscal year 2008 appropriations process, funding allocated for biomedical research at the NIH and NCI have been low, and well below the 6.7 percent increase we fought hard for. The final version of the bill vetoed by the President contained a 3.1 percent increase in funding over Fiscal Year 2007. While the funding level contained in the vetoed bill was still below biomedical inflation, and well below our original request, it was an improvement over the original numbers. It is not yet clear what the final funding level for medical research at the NIH and NCI will be, although there is a strong possibility that the numbers will remain at the FY 2007 level, and insufficient to fund many of the critical initiatives that may lead to reduction in deaths from cancer. We will continue to fight in the future to help increase funding for these important institutes." www.PreventCancer.org, November 2007

 

Tobacco Control

Governor signs law on drivers' smoking, but vetoes more child seats
Chronicle Sacramento Bureau - October 11, 2007 (by Tom Chorneau)

"Beginning next year, drivers in California will be fined $100 for smoking in a vehicle carrying anyone under the age of 18 under legislation signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But for the second year in a row, Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation that would require car seats for children up to 8 years old, saying it is more important to educate parents on the need for safety than impose another law.

Meanwhile, the Republican governor also signed a bill that allows San Francisco officials to begin a program using video cameras on Municipal Railway buses to catch parking scofflaws.

The governor faces a deadline of midnight Sunday to sign or veto more than 400 bills still pending. So far this year, he's signed 454 bills and rejected 41.

The smoking ban on drivers carrying minors will take effect Jan. 1. Its sponsor, state Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, has long argued for the prohibition, saying studies show the concentration of particulates inside a smoker's car can be 10 times higher - and far more damaging to children - than pollutants inside a smoker's home.

The car-seat requirement, proposed this year by Assemblyman Gene Mullin, D-South San Francisco, was prompted by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study that showed children ages 4 to 8 who use booster seats were 59 percent less likely to be injured in an accident.

Current law requires children to use booster seats until they're 6 years old or weigh 60 pounds or more.

'In my veto message last year on this same subject, I stated my belief that the way to protect children was through efforts focused on education and enforcement of existing laws, not the addition of new ones', Schwarzeneggar said.

The governor's signature on AB101, from Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, means that the city can move forward with plans to mount cameras on the front of Muni buses to catch double-parkers who are blocking traffic lanes designated for public transit.

The program is modeled after one in London that has helped speed bus travel. Muni, which has one of the slowest operating systems in the nation, plans to start the initiative in January. The cameras will take pictures of license plates and the owners of the offending vehicles will be sent citations in the mail.

'Once word gets out that these buses are acting as parking control officiers, I think the behavior of the drivers will change radically', said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The governor also vetoed a bill that would have prevented city councils and other local government agencies from skirting open-meeting laws by using a series of private meetings.

Schwarzenegger said the bill, authored by state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, was impractical and could 'prohibit communication among officials and agency staff outside of a public meeting'."

Chronicle staff writer Rachel Gordon contributed to this report. E-mail Tom Chorneau at tchorneau@sfchronicle.com.

Skin Cancer Control

California Tanning Facility Legislation

Dear California Skin Cancer Prevention Advocates:

As some of you know.......

Signed this past weekend by the governor, AB 105 - which further regulates tanning facilities - will go into effect in California on January 1, 2008. Here is a link to the Legislative Counsel's Digest (of the bill) followed by the actual legislative text: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0101-0150/ab_105_bill_20070907_enrolled.html .

Here is a partial list of changes AB 105 institutes compared to current law:

1. Minors 14 to 18 years of age must have a parent/legal guardian sign a written consent form - onsite at the tanning facility, IN THE PRESENCE OF FACILITY STAFF - before the minor can use a tanning bed. The parent/guardian must again sign a consent form every 12 months.


2. Tanning booth timers must be remotely located so that users cannot set their own exposure time.


3. The customary written warning handed to tanning customers will have added language including: (A) Any person with skin that burns easily should avoid an ultraviolet tanning device. (B) Any person with a family history of past medical history of skin cancer should avoid an ultraviolet tanning device.


4. A tanning facility must not make any claims that indoor tanning has any known health benefits.


5. "Proof of age" patrons must be provided per government-issues identification.


6. A warning sign (regarding the dangers of UV rays) must be consipicuously posted, readily visible to a person using an ultraviolet tannng device.