VERMONT Anti-Tanning Salon Legislation

[Ezliving_Jim]

Bronze is the color at issue in H. 215, also known as the "You'll Be Pasty, and You'll Like it, Young Woman, Act of 2006."

This measure would group tanning salons with voting and buying cigarettes -- off limits to anyone younger than 18. The rationale is that too much exposure to ultra-violet light can promote skin cancer.

This bill would be an absolute prom killer. No 11th-grade debutante will want to show up at her May prom with shoulders that haven't seen the Vermont sun since Labor Day. Who's going to tell the Vermont high-schoolers that they'll have to spend the fourth week of April going to Myrtle Beach for spring break to start on their tans, rather than to show off the tans they've already paid good money for and spent hours inside a purple glowing coffin-like box to attain?

Skin cancer? Terrible, and to be avoided at all costs.

Banning tanning salons for the under 18 set? Out of the question.

Vermont has a long and proud history of legislating colors. H. 215 flies in the face of that delicate balance of recognizing fundamental individual liberties while at the same time protecting the public good.

Let the kids get tan.

Ed Shamy's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 660-1862 or eshamy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com

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[esun]

jim, what should i do to help fight against hb215 in vermont? Thanks

[elitetanner]

Omg

[Ezliving_Jim]

Originally Posted by esun

jim, what should i do to help fight against hb215 in vermont? Thanks

Contact John Overstreet at the ITA. I assume you are a member. You should be.

John can better advise you on your local situation. These bills tend to move quickly so don't delay.

Gather a coalition of tanning salon owners in your state. Everyone should contact their district state legislators by phone, letter and email, as well as all of the legislators on the committees considering the bill. If there is a hearing scheduled, plan to attend and testify.

[esun]

elite? why the OMG?

Jim, i'm a member of NTTI. I'll contact them.
Point me to ITA please? Not found on search engine, thanks

I just read the bill and it proposes to BAN(is that why,OMG?) all under 18 tanners and part 3 says there is a study that says that women who tan in a tanning bed more than 1 time a month or get sunburns when they are teenagers are 55% more likely to develop skin cancer latter in life.

Where is THIS study? what a joke..but not a joking matter to vermont salons.

It does say that people who own a personal tanning bed and doctors are excluded.
guess my beds are now co owned by all my patrons. congrats to all those new bed owners out there. I'll let them keep them here in my salon and they can use them when ever they like.
maybe i'll change my name to "joes garage" and offer tanning in private room in back like an illegal poker game. What a pain in the ass this is going to be.

Its funny. my doctor tans here and so does her PA's. Maybe i can make a deal with her?
Gotta go get started on this shat..

[Ezliving_Jim]

http://www.theita.com/

[esun]

thanks

[effective]

"It does say that people who own a personal tanning bed and doctors are excluded.
guess my beds are now co owned by all my patrons"

That's actually an interesting spin on this situation. Has anyone ever heard this? & what's the chances of making it happen?

I know it's extreme, but such is life.

[Ezliving_Jim]

a tanning co-op?

[esun]

Is there ANY state that bans under 18 tanners yet?

[Kathe]

In Michigan you can't buy milk straight from the farm so we joined a co-op which states we are part owner of a cow - cowshare program. Since we own the cow we can buy and drink the milk from it.

Maybe tanning is heading in that direction. Something to keep our eyes on. The government wants to control everything we do. They obviously know better than we what we should and should not do. UGH!

Wait - I forgot! I don't live in America anymore, I live in the Soviet Union. Whew!

What is my country turning into????

Kathe

[Ezliving_Jim]

Proposed bill would ban teens from tanning beds

February 25, 2007
By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau
MONTPELIER – If H.215 passes into law, Linda DePoy expects to lose about one-quarter of her clients.

DePoy, the owner of Pro Tan in Rutland, said the bill, which seeks to prohibit minors from using commercial tanning booths, would deliver a possibly fatal blow to tanning businesses across Vermont.

"If a client is under 16 years old, I have their parent sign a consent form," DePoy said. "A lot of times the family is getting ready for a vacation in a hotter climate and wants their kids to have a base before leaving."

Opponents of youth tanning come to the debate armed with studies and statistics that link long-term exposure to the sun and artificial ultraviolet light to dramatic increases in skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer; there are 1 million new cases annually. Most skin damage that is likely to develop into skin cancer later in life occurs before the age of 18, according to studies.

The ban makes sense to Rep. Harry Chen, D-Mendon, who, along with fellow Democrats Reps. Janet Ancel of Calais and Carol Hosford of Waitsfield, has sponsored the bill, which is now in the House Human Services Committee.

"This is no different than restricting minors from buying tobacco," said Chen, who is a physician.

Vermont is not alone in looking at the issue, according to Chen. In the United States, 25 states have restrictions on tanning booths for young people and seven state legislatures, including Vermont, are considering bans this year.

Chen said skin cancer has become an epidemic. One out of three adolescents use tanning booths, he said, and women who tanned more than once a month as youths are 55 percent more likely to develop skin cancer.

"This is when you do the damage to your skin," he said.

The bill's current text calls for fines ranging from $500 for the first violation to $1,500 on a third violation for business owners who allow minors to use tanning equipment. It does not extend to doctors who use equipment that emits ultraviolet light or to personal tanning machines in homes.

It's doubtful, however, that the bill will pass this legislative session.

Rep. Ann Pugh, D-South Burlington, chairwoman of the Human Services Committee, said that the panel has been busy rewriting state welfare regulations to mesh with federal changes.

During a committee vote on priorities early in the session, she said, the tanning bill didn't get a single vote.

"I don't think we're going to get to it this session," she said. "It didn't seem like a priority."

Tanning bans have faced difficulty passing in other states. Last week, the South Dakota Senate voted against a similar measure 24-10 and the Colorado Senate amended a bill to allow minors to tan with parental permission.

Chen conceded that the Vermont bill faces an uphill battle. But, he said, he might be willing to compromise.

"Parental consent might be something we can talk about," he said.

Contact Daniel Barlow at daniel.barlow@rutlandherald.com.

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[esun]

Where do they find these studies? One time a month? WTF are they talkin about? Even they dont know and they are the doctors we are supposed to trust? unbelieveable..Good to know it wont get much support though, for me anyway.