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NATIONAL SMOKERS_/MJJANCE FOR I2~LMEDIATE RELEASE March ";, 1994 Contact: Bill Althaus (703) 684-4842 National Smokers Alliance Launches 1994 Activities Alexandria, Va., ,March 7 -- Smokers around the country have united to form a national organization dedicated to protecting their rights by promoting policies of accommodation. Based in Alexandria, Va, the National Smokers Alliance (NSA) today announced the formation and launch of its 1994 membership drive. "Respect for individual rights, which is a tradition in America, has been replaced with intolerance and infringement on personal freedoms," said William J. Althaus, the former mayor of York, Pa, who is serving as the chairman of the NSA National Board of Advisors. "Smokers are the most prominent target of this movement, making the National Smokers ?dl.ia_nce an essential voice in the fight to protect individual rights." Among the many challenges facing smokers in 1994 is a measure under consideration in Cengress that would ban smoking in almost all public places nationv,~de. In addition, state and local governments around the country are banning smoking in a variety of places, including offices, restaurants, airports and shopping mails. "Public opinion polls have shown that Americans support accommodation, not government-imposed bans," said Oscar Coff'ey Jr., president and chief executive officer of the U.S. African-American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the NSA Board of Advisors. "Based on first-hand experience, I knox,," that business owners need to have the Ilex.ibility to meet the needs of all their employees and customers -- and not have their hands tied by legislators. That's why promoting accommodation is the primary goal of the NSA." Fighting increases in cigarette excise taxes at all levels of gov(~rnment also will be a focus of the alliance this year, with one of the first battles facing NSA members being the 75- cent-per.pack increase in the federal cigarette tax proposed in the administration's health care reform package "While we all may agree with the premise behind health care reform, singling out one group to pay for a program that benefits everyone is wrong," said Charles Sydnor, president and chief executive oflbcer of the Central Virginia Educational Telecommunications Corporation and a member of the NSA Board of Ad'+isors. "The alliance serves as the platform from which the nation's more than 50 million smokers can exercise their political and economic power to stop this type of discriminatory legislation. (more) tlf IVlr'th Ooil| ltellt .lllll 100 Alllltitell, Yi ttlt4 TII. 701,114.414! fl[ 701.184.4847

In addit{on to serving as a nation~l platforrm the NSA ~,~ll provide members v, ith a wide va~iety of" services, including a bi-monthly newsletter, special a~en bulletins and a.n $00 number where members can get current lrd'ormation on issues a.fl'ecthng theh" r~E, hts. l:unding for NSA activities w~ll come fi-om membership fees, as well as grmts fi'om va.dous segments of the tobacco industry, including g~'owers, suppliers, reta.i]ers, distributors and manufacturers.

NATIONAL SMOKERS ALLIAI~'CE Mission Statement The National Smokers Alliance ('NSA) is a newly created organization ~dth a mission to presets'e, protect and defend every adult's freedom to smoke. ., Based in Alexandria. Va., the organization is building a geographically and demographically diverse membership representing a broad cross section of'American citizens. Its members are politicaJly active adults who support the freedom of choice to smoke and are no longer willing to let smokers be treated as second-class citizens. They are mobilized and ready to fight for the accommodation of their rights at the local, state and federal level. Specifically, the NSA is working to haJt the country's movement towards the prohibition of smoking. It is opposed to the imposition of smoking bans and other divisive actions. Instead, the NSA advocates accommodation ~s a reasonable, rational resolution to the situatior~ conjoining smokers and nonsmokers today. NSA believes that reason should dominate while negotiating smoking policies, and that the protection of Individual fights is the most important goal. Complete bans are irrational when there are ways in wldch both the rights of nonsmokers and smokers can be accommodated in all places. The NSA also is against discriminatory hh'ing practices. The organization believes that employers have no right to base employment decisions on such personal choices as smoking. Further, the NSA is against other unt'~ir practices that discriminate against smokers, such r~ising excise taxes on tobacco products at the state and federal level. NSA does not believe in targeting any one group to finance a national or state program that benefits the entire population. The NSA views the recent decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on secondhand smoke to be polhi¢~/ly motivated and designed to force complete smoking bans in the workplace. The NSA believes the report lacks scientific credibility. The NSA is an ~vocate of`peer-re~'iewed, cr~ble scientific studies on such issues. The NSA's goal is to provide its members with a highly visible, national platform in support of their causes. The NSA strives to ensure that its members' voices are heard and that action is taken at ~11 levels of`government ~nd business ag~n_ct excessive infi'ingements on smokers' rights. The NSA will provide its members with the necessary tools and power tO speak out and fight against discrimir~tory behavior. The NSA continues to grow a¢ a powerful and politically vi&ble org~'fix.ation. Its doctrine is firmly rooted in the belief that protecting an individual's right to choose while accommodating the desires of`both smokers ~nd nonsmokers is eminently achievable, and isthe key to f~ir and rational decision malting in today's public reatlm.

To summarize, the NSA's goals axe to: • Empower smokers thxough a~ org~.rtization that v,~II develop a national political campaign for the accommodation of smokers' rights • IdentLCy, recruit, educate and mobilize a powerful aJIi~nce of smokers' rights activists t/-zoughout the Urdted States • Develop and organize resista~ce to infringement of smokers' rights at the federaJ, state and local level • Send messages to employers and retailers showing smokers as a powerful economic ~nd political force prepared to vigorously defend their rights to smoke • Provide a variety of opporturdties for participation in smokers' fights activities

NSA NATIONAL BOARD OF ADVISORS The Honorable '~Villiam J. Aithaus, Chairman Former Mayor, York, PA Former President, U.$. Conference of Mayors Wm. C. "Bill" Anderson Government Relations Representative Jeanie Austin Co-Chairman, Republiczm National Committee Oscar J. Coffey Jr., LL.D. President/CEO, U.S. African-.4a-nerican Chamber of Commerce John F. Droney Jr. Pr~,cipaL Le~T & Droney, P.C. The Honorable Milton "Toby" Fitch Jr. Majority Leader, House of R.epresematives, North Carolina J. Curtis Herge Partner, Herge, Spaxks & Christopher Bruce Herschensohn Set, or Fellow, Clak,-mont Institute John Hillerman Actor Fred M. Hodges ~,qce President of Sales, Bailey Maxketing Group, Inc. David A. Keene President Keen~-Ialper & A.ssociates

Peter G. Kelly Former Democratic National Committee Finance Chairman Louise T. Lindblom Media and Advocacy Director, National Urban Coalition Andre Morgan Film and TeIevision Producer David Myers Founder/Director, League for Smokers' Rights Lyn Nofziger President, .No fz.iger Commumcations ,'~larc Rotterman President, John Locke Foundation Joseph A. Ruggiero Chief Counsel for the Democratic Party, Connecticut The Honorable Pierre Salinger Former U.S. Senator & Wl~te House Press Sccreta.~,.' Craig Shirley President and CEO, Craig Shirley & Associates, Inc. The Honorable Phil Stout Former State Legislator, Nevada Dr. Charles Sydnor President and CEO, Central Xc~ginia Public Television The Honorable. Guy Vander Jagt Former U.S. Congressman, .Michigan

NSA BOARD M~MBER BIOS The Honorable William Althaus Chairman of the Board of Advisor~, National Smoker~ Alliance William AJthaus is chairman of the Board of Advisors of the National Smokers Alliance (NSA) and a consultant to Burson-Marstellefs Washington, D.C. office. Before joining NSA, Althaus was the mayor of York, Pa., having the distinction of being the youngest person ever elected to that office. First elected in 1981, Althaus served three consecutive terms as mayor. In 1992, Althaus was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors where he previously held the position of vice president and chairman of the Advisory Board, among other positions. Active in international affairs, Althaus also has served on several international ~lelegations, including the U.S. Delegation to U.S.-Japan Fellowship Exchange. In ~ldition, he served as chair of the Delegation of U. S. Mayors to the Jerusalem Conference of Mayors and chairman of the U.S. Delegation to Fifth Conference of Great Cities of the Americas in the Dominican Republic. Althaus also addressed the Council of Europe on Municipal Cooperation in France. Althaus has served as president of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and the National Conference of Republican Mayors and was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Althaus earned a bachelor's degree from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and a juris doctor from The Dickinson School of Law in Carlyle, Pa. Win. C. "Bill" Anderson Government Relations Representative Wm. C. "Bill" Anderson is a government relations representative who works with Congress seeldng support for a variety of legislation. Anderson began his career as a lobbyist in 1961 as legislative director for the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation in St. Paul, Minn. In 196"I, he moved to the American Farm Bureau Federation where he served as assistant legislative director. He became vice president of government relations for the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) in 1976, and, after 13 years with IPAA, he left to become chiefofsta.ffto New Jersey Representative J'tm S~ton. From,1989 to 1991, he also sen,'ed as the, political action committee director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. A graduate of Wickita State Urfiversity in Wichita, Kan., Anderson has a bachelor's degree in political science. Jeanie R. Austin Co-Chairman, Republican National Committee Jeanie Austin is the co-chairman of the Republican National Committee (RlqC). Serving her third term as co-chair, Austin actively works to build .the Republican Party ~om the grassroots level. Prior to her election as co-chairman, Austin was state chairman for the Republican Party of Florida -- the only woman to hold that position since the part~s inception. During her tenure as state chairman, Republic~m registration increased dr~anatically as did the number of local office, holders.