Minnesota Malaria, Take 2
The Minnesota House Commerce Committee quashed a statewide smoking ban proposal. It'll be back. I'm proud to say that my house representative was a co-sponsor of the bill, and that my state senator supported the senate version of the bill.
Both Ramsey County and Hennepin County have enacted county-wide smoking bans, so that at least covers most of the places where I'm likely to eat, but both bans have exemptions for bars and other places that derive more than 50% of their revenue from alcohol sales. Unfortunately, this probably includes my local watering hole. I'll have to call them to find out for sure.
I'm disappointed in the state House, in particular, because the bill was killed on a voice vote.
posted by Pete Clark @ 4:07 PM
2 comments
links to this post
2 Comments:
Yes, the Freedom to Breathe Act will be back. Minnesota will become a smokefree state, it's a matter of when, not if. Even the pro-smoke crowd admits they are beaten in the long run. Their loss is Minnesota's gain. See our blog for more:
http://alamn.org/media/blogger.html
Wow. Jon and I just got back from our second trip to Ireland, which is the most wonderful place to travel to because their smoking laws (passed just last March) mirror those here in CA. I can go to any pub or restaurant and NEVER have to fear an asthma attack! At least, not from smoke. Maybe from annoying overzealous perfume-wearers. :-)
It will be a glorious day when MN comes around. I wonder how it is that bars etc. even get away with that stupid income argument? People can just look at CA to know that, as long as EVERYONE has the same rules, no one's business changes. The thing that never worked here in CA was when counties or cities were doing the ban locally, because then the smokers DO have some leverage. But the argument is a no-op the second the ban is universally applied.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home