Attachment 1 – Role Cards For Legislation

  1. TEEN- SURVIVOR OF MELANOMA

You were the ultimate sun worshiper. You spent every summer working as a lifeguard at the beach. In the fall and winter you would patronize the local tanning booth in order to maintain your dark tan. Two years ago on your sixteenth birthday your mom noticed a suspicious mole on the back of your neck. The mole was removed, biopsied and determined to be melanoma. You now realize that there is no such thing as a healthy tan and want to spread the word to other teens. You have been asked to speak out in favor of the bill. Your search for supporting arguments may begin with the following websites:

Academy of Dermatology

SunWise Program sponsored by the EPA

SHADE Foundation and “Shonda’s Story- a Melanoma survivor”

  1. MOTHER OF TEEN WHO DIED FROM MELANOMA

Your son was an avid swimmer. He swam on a team from the time he was 4 years old. He was captain of the high school swim team and held the schools record for the 400 I.M. In the fall of his senior year he had a suspicious mole from his back removed and all tests seemed to clear him of any danger. However, a spot re-emerged the following spring in the same site. When tests confirmed that the cancer had spread to his liver there really wasn't anything doctors could do to help him. He died a few months later. You have been asked to speak out in favor of the bill. Your search for supporting arguments may begin with the following websites:

Academy of Dermatology

SunWise Program sponsored by the EPA

SHADE Foundation

  1. MEMBER OF THE SHADE FOUNDATION

You work with Shonda Schilling, founder of the Shade Foundation. You are a strong advocate for education to raise awareness of the dangers of tanning and skin cancer to teens. You have been asked to speak out in favor of the bill. Your search for supporting arguments may begin with the following websites:

Academy of Dermatology

SunWise Program sponsored by the EPA

SHADE Foundation

  1. TEACHER WHO WORKS WITH THE SUNWISE PROGRAM

You are one of the founders of the SunWise Program which is “an environmental and health education program that aims to teach the public how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-based, school-based, and community-based components”. (EPA SunWise Program) You have been asked to speak out in favor of the bill. Your search for supporting arguments may begin with the following website:

SunWise Program sponsored by the EPA

  1. MEMBER OF ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY

You are a dermatologist who will represent the Academy of Dermatology at the senate hearing. You have specialized in the treatment of skin cancer in adolescents for the past ten years and are highly respected by other doctors in your field. You have been asked to testify as an expert witness at the committee hearing. You may begin your preparation for the hearing at the following site:

Academy of Dermatology (go to “public resource center”)

  1. RESEARCH SCIENTIST FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

You are a scientist who has studied the effects of ozone depletion on health. You have been asked to testify as an expert witness at the committee hearing. You may begin your preparation for the hearing at the following site:

“The Impacts of Ozone Layer Depletion on Human Health”

EPA Homepage

Role Cards against Legislation

  1. TEEN WHO USES A TANNING BOOTH

You are seventeen years old and have used tanning booths since you were fourteen. You like the “healthy tan” look and believe that the legislation violates your constitutional rights. You will speak out against the part of the legislation banning tanning booths for minors. You may begin your search for supporting arguments at the following websites:

Indoor Tanning Association Resources

Suntanning Association for Education

Child Welfare League of America (Interest Group for teens’ rights)

OR

American Civil Liberties Union (Interest Group for teens’ rights)

  1. TEEN WHO WORKS AT A TANNING BOOTH

You are eighteen years old and work at a tanning booth salon. Although the legislation would not affect you personally, you are against the bill because it would impact many of your friends. You have used tanning booths since you were fifteen and believe the literature that states that tanning booths are a safe way to tan. You will speak out against the bill at the senate hearing. You may begin your search for supporting arguments at the following websites:

Indoor Tanning Association Resources

Suntanning Association for Education

  1. OWNER OF TANNING BOOTH

You are the owner of “Bronze Bodies”, a tanning salon that is frequented by teenagers. The proposed bill would have a detrimental effect on your business. You will speak out against the bill at the senate hearing. You may begin your search for supporting arguments at the following websites:

Indoor Tanning Association Resources

Suntanning Association for Education

  1. MEMBER OF INDOOR TANNING ASSOCIATION

You are on the Board of Directors of the Indoor Tanning Association, which was founded in 1999 to protect the rights of citizens who want to acquire a tan. The association represents people who work in all aspects of the indoor tanning industry. You will speak out against the bill at the senate hearing. You may begin your search for supporting arguments at the following site:

Indoor Tanning Association

  1. MEDICAL DOCTOR WHO STUDIES VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY

You are an epidemiologist who works for the American Cancer Society and are a member of the American Academy of Dermatology. The society is reviewing its sun protection guidelines as there is evidence that vitamin D may have a role in the prevention as well as treatment of certain cancers. Because of the connection between sunlight and skin cancer, many people aren't getting enough vitamin D. It's hard to get vitamin D from food and fortified milk alone so you believe that smart tanning is important; too much sun leads to skin cancer but too little sun may be worse. You will testify at the senate hearing as an expert witness. You may begin your search for supporting evidence at the following sites:

“Vitamin D research may have doctors prescribing sunshine”

Research by Dermatologists

  1. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH-REVIEWER OF CLINICAL TRIALS

As an employee of the National Institutes of Health, you review clinical trials tied to skin cancer research. Your office is in charge of data and safety monitoring (DSM) of clinical trials. In this position you have become familiar with the many alternatives to skin cancer treatment that are currently being tested. You have been asked to testify at the senate hearing on the most current skin cancer trials that are being conducted as well as the effectiveness of the trials in treating and preventing skin cancer. In order to research and evaluate skin cancer trials you will need to visit the following site:

For NIH (National Institutes of Health) Reviewer of skin cancer clinical trials

MEMBER OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE - Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

You are a senator who will hear testimony regarding the senate bill that has been introduced to your committee. Your task will involve two phases:

Phase 1: Preparation
  1. You and your committee members will create a bill (no longer than one page) that will be the focus of the hearing. You may model the bill after the California Bill AB2193 but be sure to include a section that explains the mandate for sun awareness education in the public schools, grades K-12. Make enough copies for everyone on your committee and if possible provide a copy for each student who will testify at the hearing.
  2. Go to the senate website: to select a senator to role play. Research the senator whom you have chosen in order to understand how this senator will most likely react to this bill. Create questions that you think this senator would pose to the people who will testify at the hearing. A one page biography of your senator and your questions will be due the day prior to the senate hearing.

Phase 2: The Hearing

  1. Follow the guidelines for Public Hearings posted on the site: (section VI. Consideration by Committee-Committee Hearings)
  2. After each speaker (witness) testifies, the members of the committee should ask questions of each witness after their testimony.
  3. At the conclusion of the hearing the committee will meet (in another room if possible) to discuss both sides of the issue, reflecting on the testimony of the witnesses.
  4. The committee will take one of the following actions:

Amend the bill

Recommend to the full senate favorably

Recommend to the full senate unfavorably