Smoking ban update
Among the things that got lost in the wake of Gov. Perdue releasing her budget Tuesday was an update on H 2, the proposed workplace smoking ban.
When last we left the bill, it had cleared the House Health Committee and was on its way to House Judiciary I. I'm told J-I nearly approved the bill yesterday but held off to give Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam time to offer some amendments.
Here's the report from AP's daily news roundup:
SMOKING BAN: The effort to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places has soft enforcement provisions, but a provision allowing local governments to impose tougher enforcement if they choose could increase penalties to include a misdemeanor. The bill discussed in a House judiciary committee would ban smoking in enclosed public places, including workplaces. Smokers asked to stub out their butt who refuse could be fined up to $50, but only by a public health officer. Businesses could be fined up to $200 after their third failure to stop smokers. The bill also allows local government to be tougher on secondhand smoke.
If what I'm told is right, you'll see the bill back in J-I on Tuesday and then it will probably bounce in to the House Finance Committee before hitting the floor. If it follows the same pattern as in 2007, it won't be any of its committee stops that are a problem for the bill, but its floor vote that's in doubt.
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