This fluid and sometimes volatile environment presents numerous opportunities for AHA to impact public health policy. The AHA advocacy priorities are focused on the Chain of Survival Tobacco and non-profit tax issues. In 2001, the Office of Emergency Medical Services began the process of rewriting their regulations. Included in these regulations will be those dealing with AED registration, placement and use. We are monitoring this process.
Tobacco remains an enormous concern for health advocates.
Virginia ranks 27th among states in using the tobacco settlement agreement money for youth tobacco use prevention. Although we were successful in establishing the Tobacco Settlement Foundation, we must continue to work to protect these funds for prevention. Non profit tax issues became a hot topic at the 2001 General Assembly. Thousands of non-profit, including the AHA, are exempt from Virginia's sales and use tax. Unfortunately, there is evidence of wide-spread fraud regarding this tax exemption.