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BCMS LEGISLATIVE
NEWS

BCMS LEGISLATIVE NEWS

TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE

EFFECTIVE AS OF OCT. 1

On Monday, Oct. 1, the day the new Tobacco 21 Ordinance
went into effect, SA Metro Health hosted a press conference,
including participating supporters (of which BCMS is a mem-
ber) at the William R. Sinkin Eco Center at San Antonio Col-
lege. Among the speakers were: Dr. Colleen Bridger, SA
Metro Health Director and District 7 Councilwoman Ana San-
doval, chair of the City of San Antonio Health Equity Com-
mittee. San Antonio becomes the first city in Texas to pass
and implement an ordinance to raise the age to purchase to-
bacco products to 21.

For more information on the new ordinance, go to:
www.sanantonio.gov/Health/HealthyLiving/Smoking

PETE FLORES BECOMES

THE NEW SENATOR FOR

SENATE DISTRICT 19

The special election for Senate District 19 took place on Sept. 18
and the new Senator who will represent the people of this district is
retired game warden, Pete Flores. This was a historical election in
that Sen. Flores won a seat held by Democrats for the last 139 years.
His Democrat opponent was former state and U.S. Representative
Pete Gallego. In addition, Sen. Flores becomes the first Hispanic Re-
publican Senator in the Texas Senate. I stopped by the campaign
watch party to congratulate Mr. Flores on behalf of BCMS.

For local discussion on this and other legislative advocacy top-
ics, consider joining the BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics
Committee by contacting Mary Nava, chief government affairs
officer at mary.nava@bcms.org.

10 San Antonio Medicine • November 2018