Bill Text: IL SJR0051 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Strives to protect and strengthen the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Urges the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a data brief by 2023 on the impact of the Act since 2013 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Act's enactment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-10 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [SJR0051 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SJR0051-Introduced.html

---

SJ0051 LRB102 26603 LAW 37343 r
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor
air pollution, and breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of
disease and death, including heart disease, stroke,
respiratory disease, lung cancer, low birth-weight babies,
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), increased respiratory
infections in children, asthma in children and adults, sinus
cancer, and breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women; and
WHEREAS, The 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report, The Health
Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke,
estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke kills
approximately 50,000 people in the United States annually,
including approximately 2,000 in Illinois; there is no
risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke; ventilation
and other air cleaning technologies cannot completely control
for exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke; smoke-free
workplace policies are the only effective way to eliminate
secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace, and evidence shows
that smoke-free policies and laws do not have an adverse
economic impact on the hospitality industry; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health reported
a 28.4 percent decline in the smoking rate after the Smoke Free
Illinois Act (the Act) was enacted in 2008 in addition to a 4.1

SJ0051 - 2 - LRB102 26603 LAW 37343 r
percent and 1.4 percent decline in the mortality rate for
heart disease and lung cancer, respectively; the number of
callers to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline increased
dramatically after the Act became law from 7,255 in 2006 to
24,575 in 2012; in 2011, 91 percent of adults reported no
exposure to secondhand smoke in indoor public places, and 89%
of Illinois adults believed policies not allowing tobacco use
in indoor or outdoor public places should be strictly
enforced; and
WHEREAS, Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia
have passed comprehensive smoke-free laws to protect people
against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke; and
WHEREAS, Aerosol from electronic cigarettes has a high
concentration of heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and
ultrafine particles; the particle concentration is higher than
in conventional tobacco cigarette smoke; exposure to fine and
ultrafine particles may exacerbate respiratory ailments like
asthma and constrict arteries, which could trigger a heart
attack; and
WHEREAS, The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends
that electronic cigarettes not be used indoors, especially in
smoke-free environments, in order to minimize the risk to
bystanders of breathing in the aerosol emitted by the devices

SJ0051 - 3 - LRB102 26603 LAW 37343 r
and to avoid undermining the enforcement of smoke-free laws;
and
WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke from combusted marijuana
contains many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens
as tobacco smoke that can be breathed deeply into the lungs,
which can cause lung irritation and asthma attacks and makes
respiratory infections more likely; exposure to fine
particulate matter can exacerbate health problems, especially
for people with respiratory conditions like asthma,
bronchitis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; research
has shown that secondhand marijuana smoke can do as much
damage to the heart and blood vessels as secondhand tobacco
smoke; and
WHEREAS, The American Society for Heating, Refrigeration,
and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the standard setting
body for the HVAC industry, affirms that mechanical solutions
like ventilation cannot control for the health hazards of
secondhand smoke, and its standard (62.1) for acceptable
indoor air quality is based on an environment that is free from
tobacco and marijuana smoke and secondhand aerosol from
electronic cigarettes; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF

SJ0051 - 4 - LRB102 26603 LAW 37343 r
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we strive to protect
and strengthen the Smoke Free Illinois Act and urge the
Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a data brief
by 2023 on the impact of the Act since 2013 to commemorate the
15th anniversary of the Act's enactment; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
delivered to the Illinois Department of Public Health.