Legislative Initiatives

Download Tanning Is Out, Your Skin Is In - a 60 second video about the dangers of tanning beds by clicking here.

Update: April 26, 2010

On March 17, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health amended
Senator Timility's bill that further restricts tanning bed use (S.903) and
released it with a favorable report.

On April 1, the amended bill (renumbered as S. 2339), was sent to the Senate
Committee on Ethics and Rules.

Today, April 26, the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules AND the Committee
on Third Reading released the bill.

This means that S. 2339 is scheduled to be voted on by the State Senate on
Thursday, April 29.

The amended bill now reads:

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out
section 211, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following
section:

Section 211. (a) No person under the age of 16 shall use a tanning device.

(b) No person 16 years of age to 17 years of age, inclusive, shall use a
tanning device without the prior written consent of a parent or legal
guardian. Before obtaining consent, the tanning facility shall provide to
the parent or guardian a copy of the warnings required under section 209.

The parent or guardian shall sign a statement in the presence of the
operator acknowledging receipt and understanding of the warnings. The
operator shall sign the written consent form as a witness to the signing of
the parent or guardian.

While this amended bill does not include many of the provisions the
Massachusetts Academy of Dermatology advocated for, it will nonetheless
protect young adults.

Please voice your support of the bill TODAY by contacting your STATE SENATOR.

YOUR MESSAGE -- Pass Senate Bill 2339 !

When talking to your STATE SENATOR, please make him/her aware of the public
health danger of UV radiation from tanning devices, and urge him/her to pass
Senate Bill 2339:

•         UV radiation from tanning devices is a known human carcinogen.

•         Using a tanning bed before the age of 35, increases one's risk for
melanoma by 75 percent.

•         Protecting the public, especially adolescents, and requiring
appropriate oversight of the indoor tanning industry is crucial to promoting
public health and reducing overall health care costs.

Thank you for your support of this important public health issue.

Update, Summer, 2009

Senate bill 903, a bill to restrict tanning bed use, will be heard by the Committee on Public Health on Tuesday, July 21st. The legislation would prohibit teens under the age of 16 from using indoor tanning facilities and require parental or guardian permission for minors 16 and 17, as well as prohibit minors from operating tanning equipment. The Melanoma Foundation of New England and the Massachusetts Academy of Dermatology are the major supporters of this legislation. This is the third filing of legislation. In the fall of 2009, definitive data supporting the link between tanning bed use and melanoma has been documented . Please let your legislators know that you support this bill, write, call and e-mail your support.