Norton Bill to Ban Smoking on Amtrak Trains Included in INVEST in America Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her bill to ban smoking on Amtrak trains, including electronic cigarettes, was included in the INVEST in America Act, which passed out of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee last week.

"While Amtrak deserves our thanks and praise for implementing its own policy banning smoking on trains, my bill to codify that ban that was included in the INVEST in America Act will ensure the policy cannot be reversed," Norton said.

Tobacco smoking bans have been a critical tool in protecting people from the effects of secondhand smoke, known to increase the risk for serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema, among others. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the tobacco epidemic to be one of the most serious public health threats in the world, killing more than seven million people a year. Importantly, according to the WHO, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. It is likely the effects of secondhand exposure to electronic cigarettes is harmful as well.