Assemblyman Abinanti with Westchester Health Commissioner Sherita Amler, Assemblyman Steve Otis, Ellette Hirshorn from Open Door, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and County Legislator Catherine Borgia.
“We understood 10 years ago what almost everyone understands today – second hand smoke kills,” said Assemblyman Abinanti. “There is no safe level of exposure to second hand smoke.”
The Westchester County Legislature passed its law on March 3, 2003 and was immediately followed by Nassau, Suffolk and New York City. The local efforts spurred the state legislature to pass the state law only weeks later. All of these laws banned smoking in restaurants, bars, and the workplace and have continued to protect workers and patrons from second-hand smoke and helped to reduce smoking rates.
At the event, Assemblyman Abinanti pledged to sponsor legislation to toughen the state law to match the stronger Westchester law-especially to ban smoking in hotel rooms statewide and protect workers in outdoor but confined areas.
“The success of the efforts to pass clean air legislation provide three lessons,” said Abinanti. “Good government is good politics. Good policies can be achieved by regional cooperation, no matter how strong the opposition. The State will follow the lead of local governments.”
