Passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy

The American Lung Association joins the nation in mourning the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy, and offers condolences to Sen. Kennedy’s family and loved ones. Sen. Kennedy will be remembered as one of the greatest champions for health in U.S. history.
The American Lung Association honors the indispensible role Sen. Kennedy played in legislation that has and will save lives. We will remember with deepest gratitude for his role in passing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, which paid for expanded healthcare for children through a tax increase on tobacco, and his commitment as lead sponsor of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a bill signed into law just this year that gives the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products, including how they are marketed to children.
In recognition of his life-long dedication to the health of the nation, and his support of the American Lung Association, Kennedy was the recipient of the American Lung Association’s President’s Award, in 1995.
During his nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy was a tireless champion for health, and was responsible for countless items of legislation that expanded healthcare to children, the elderly and the underprivileged.
As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee he was instrumental in the passage of scores of bill that improved the lives of all Americans. Among them were the National Cancer Act of 1971, the COBRA Act of 1985 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The American Lung Association shares with the nation our gratitude for a life committed to improving the health and the lives of all of us.