Tobacco Documents Online

~fati /ti~ied~nEalive Rd W ..J~fooc~ ~~. ~.------~-, ac~inon ~] C7p ~ 1*~iedi~fant rtlooP eCrucia f Ih JI N(M.(A 0/ COMNITTC(f aN: ~ ~enonnr[ O~ica~ 2-boit - 7fli 1Ji~fiict ora.uiny 517-3 73-1782 . SEP 9 1980 September 3, 1980 II --~ .,..~,e .s..n.. cN.~....w• ~' lDUC.TIQW II ~NO aCA[aICN ,_•••_-a `-1 I Mr. Ben Barker, Chairman Citizens Panel on Smoking and Health Michigan Department of Public Health Lansing, Michigan •I:...r; aa=u ui ol1.r O::eese hcadle p Pt:a:o S.c.\:j ~ PorYanrl,:fc:~ztion p t'c: ~bu-C~a:aeata Dear Mr. Barker, I greatly appreciate having the opportunity to serve on the Citizens Panel on Smoking and Health. Although I have been unable to-attend personally, I have asked my aide, Terry Gerald, to attend the meetings for me and to keep me informed on the Panel's progress. I realize that the.Panel is under a very tight time constraint and I commend you and the panel members for the work you have done thus far. My purpose in writing is to make clear my position on various legislative proposals now under consideration by the Panel. In the past, it has been my position as chair of the House Public Health Committee to avoid taking posi- tions on specific bills until the full conmtittee has had an opportunity to hear testimony and debate on the bills. I believe that remaining neutral until all interested parties have an opportunity to express their views on the proposed legislation is appropriate, especially for a committee chairman. Therefore, even though I support the inclusion of recommendations on various legislative proposals in your report to the Governor, that support should not be interpreted as a personal endorsement of any specific bill. I believe that.this clarification is necessary so that there is no misunderstanding on the part of the panel members or the public. Once again, I commend you and the panel members for your diligent efforts and I look fordard to reviewing your final report. rwh:cbl -249- F F I I I I I F E ~