Tobacco Documents Online

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES REPORT WEEK OF HAY 11 - 15, 1987 NAME : Te try Fr ake s REGION: VIII LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY Attended a meeting in Dallas of our local counsel. City Councilman Jerry Rucker, an opponent of the proposed workplace smoking ordinance also attended. Rucker was asked to attend to give us his comments on the proposed ordinance including the possible time table for city council consideration of the ordinance. The feelings of the other council members about this ordinance and what arguments will be best to use with the council. Rucker said he didn't believe the proposed ordinance would come before the council until at least mid or late summer, as the council is presently deliberating the next fiscal year's budget. He told us which council members would likely support the proposed ordinance and which would oppose. We spent a great deal of time going over the arguments in opposition to the proposed ordinance. Rucker was very helpful here in directing our arguments and giving us some insight into which he considered really valid arguments. After Rucker left the remaining members of the city council were divided among Moye, Benson and Reed. Each was to make an initial contact and get an idea of how the council member felt about the proposed ordinance. It was agreed that we would meet again next Tuesday, May 19, to look at the results of the initial contacts. We also discussed the upcoming brief ease study and the time table for conducting our poll. Worked in Dallas on the brief case study. Ken Benson and I secured all of the 35 workplace test sites, established contacts at the sites and sent each contact a confirmation letter. 35 restaurants sites were also selected in suburban eommunities that do not presently have smoking ordinances: Once all of the sites wePe selected, Benson and I divided the workplace and restaurants sites into testing schedules for each of the three test groups. Detailed maps were prepared for each of the test groups as none of the testers has ever been to Dallas. We also prepared a llst of ten back up workplace and restaurant test sites in anticipation of last minute problems. Copies of each of the schedules and the maps were then sent to the testers at International Technology in Tennessee and Dr. Oldaker at R.J. Reynolds for their review. TI19810146

PAGE TWO WEEKLY A lengthly meeting was then held on Sunday, May 17 in Ken Benson's office with Dr. Oldaker and the testers. At that time all of the test sites were reviewed as well as directions given and procedures established for problems such as testers getting lost. It was decided that Ken Benson and myself would be available to Join the testers and drive them if necessary to the test sites. The testers and Dr. Oldaker seemed very pleased with the schedules and the preparation for the test. Met with Gaylord Armstrong on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16, to review tobacco legislation before the Texas legislature. The Senate Sub-Commlttee on taxation was to hold a hearing on Monday to take testimony on a proposed tax bill. The tax bill includes almost every source of possible additional tax revenue including a rise in the cigarette tax. While the Senate cannot initiate a tax bill, the Lt. Governor wanted the Sub-Committee to hold hearings on possible sources of additional revenue. The Lt. Governor and the Senate favor a tax increase. The Senate, by holding a hearing, is preparing for .what they consider the only solution to the state's budgetary problems, tax increase. Gay lord spoke with the Lt. Governor's exeoutlve assistant who told him that it would not be necessary for us to testify before the Sub-Committee, as they were really looking at the issues of broadening of the sales tax and restructuring of the state franchise taxes. However, it was agreed that Gaylord, Joe Ratcliff and Ed Howard, Philip Morris lobbyist, would attend the hearing and be prepared to testify if they deemed it necessary. TF/Im TI19810147