WASHINGTON, D.C., February 23, 2005 - Upon his retirement as U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Tommy G. Thompson has agreed to join the Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth.

The Citizens' Commission was established to work toward the continued funding of the American Legacy Foundation's truth® youth media campaign, which lost its funding in 2003.

truth® is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign in the country and has helped reduce youth smoking rates. In the two years following the launch of truth®, cigarette smoking among high school students fell from 28 percent to 22.9 percent - this translates to 300,000 fewer youth smokers in 2002. The "Monitoring the Future" survey, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and conducted by the University of Michigan, cited the truth® campaign as a factor in the dramatic declines in smoking rates among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.

"Secretary Thompson is the latest addition to our commission, which includes every living former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and Health and Human Services; all former U.S. Surgeons General; and all former Directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., commission chairman. "The coming together of this prestigious group of national health leaders dating back nearly half a century speaks volumes about the importance of truth®."

"I am extremely proud and humbled to be part of the most impressive gathering of public health experts ever assembled," said Thompson. "The best road to a tobacco-free society is making sure children never light that first cigarette. When it comes to youth smoking preventing, we believe there is nothing more effective in achieving this goal than truth®. We will not let the truth® be silenced without a fight."

Commission members are enlisting the support of the American public to help it force tobacco companies to continue payments to the Public Education Fund, established under the Master Settlement Agreement between Big Tobacco and the states in 1998. Financial resources for the truth® campaign come from the Public Education Fund. The tobacco companies stopped making payments to the fund in 2003.

The commission also is filing amicus briefs in state and federal tobacco cases nationwide, asking that a portion of any money awarded be designated for smoking prevention and education programs such as truth®.

Secretary Thompson is the 19th individual to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, which employs more than 60,000 personnel and has an annual budget of more than $500 billion. Since becoming Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary Thompson has launched major initiatives to:

• Strengthen the nation's preparedness for a bioterrorism attack;
• Substantially increase funding for the National Institutes of Health;
• Reorganize the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to encourage greater responsiveness and efficiency;
• Clear the backlog of waivers and state plan amendments, approving 1,400 and thereby provide health insurance to 1.8 million lower-income Americans throughout the nation;
• Urge all Americans to prevent disease by focusing on critical health areas, such as obesity, diabetes and health disparities; and
• Take the next bold step to continue making welfare a path to employment and opportunity.

Prior to taking the helm at HHS, Secretary Thompson made Wisconsin state history when he was re-elected to office for a third term in 1994 and a fourth term in 1998. During his 14 years as governor, Secretary Thompson focused on revitalizing Wisconsin's economy. He also gained national attention for his leadership on welfare reform, expanded access to health care for low-income people, and education.

Secretary Thompson began his career in public service in 1966 as a representative in Wisconsin's state Assembly. He was elected assistant Assembly minority leader in 1973 and Assembly minority leader in 1981. Secretary Thompson has received numerous awards for his public service, including the Anti-Defamation League's Distinguished Public Service Award. In 1997, the Secretary received Governing Magazine's Public Official of the Year Award, and the Horatio Alger Award in 1998. The Secretary has also served as chairman of the National Governors' Association, the Education Commission of the States and the Midwestern Governors' Conference.

Contact: Richard Mulieri, 212-841-5306, media@protectthetruth.org

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