Evergrey
Feb 2, 2007, 3:33 AM
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17791897&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6
Smoking ban reaches Senate floor
By Alison Hawkes, For the Herald-Standard
02/01/2007
HARRISBURG - A ban on smoking in public places and work places was voted out of the Senate's public health committee Wednesday, the farthest the issue has ever reached in the state Legislature.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican, has unsuccessfully battled a decade to move smoking ban bills until now.
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He attributed Wednesday's committee vote, bringing his latest bill to the full Senate chamber, as a confluence of factors that have emerged recently.
Gov. Ed Rendell said he supports the measure and has made it part of his universal health-care initiative. The new Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee chairman, Edwin Erickson, is supportive. Cities and towns have gradually passed smoking ban ordinances and public support stands at an all-time high, he said.
"What's changed is public opinion," said Greenleaf.
Just last year, however, the House took up the issue under a bill sponsored by Greenleaf's legislative neighbor, former Rep. Sue Cornell, a Montgomery County Republican. But the bill, which was bombarded by objections from bar and tavern owners and other businesses, never left committee.
Greenleaf's bill, considered fairly comprehensive in its coverage, also could be skewered. Committee members hinted that it would not likely pass as is, given continued concerns over personal liberty and business interests.
In a rush to get it to the floor for debate, the committee made no amendments.
The committee meeting was standing room only.
"There is opposition. You saw that room," said Greenleaf.
As is, Greenleaf's bill carves out only a few exceptions to the ban: private residences, a certain number of rooms at hotels (25 percent), and businesses that handle tobacco.
Violators would be fined up to $100 for first offenses and up to $500 for repeated offenses in a given year. Local ordinances could regulate smoking more stringently, according to the bill.
"It's a very comprehensive and very strong bill for Pennsylvania," said American Lung Association spokeswoman Deborah Brown.
The bill passed committee in a 9 to 2 vote. One of the dissenters, Venango County Republican Sen. Mary Jo White, said she is "concerned about the state's role" in a ban and wondered about how far it would go.
"What about businesses run out of homes?" she said. "What about country clubs, prisons? I don't know."
But Montgomery County Sen. Robert Wonderling said he doesn't like the idea of picking and choosing who must comply.
"Collectively, if we're in for a dime, we're in for a dollar," said Wonderling. "If it's really a matter of public health, you can't have exemptions for prisons and casinos."
Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.
Smoking ban reaches Senate floor
By Alison Hawkes, For the Herald-Standard
02/01/2007
HARRISBURG - A ban on smoking in public places and work places was voted out of the Senate's public health committee Wednesday, the farthest the issue has ever reached in the state Legislature.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican, has unsuccessfully battled a decade to move smoking ban bills until now.
Advertisement
He attributed Wednesday's committee vote, bringing his latest bill to the full Senate chamber, as a confluence of factors that have emerged recently.
Gov. Ed Rendell said he supports the measure and has made it part of his universal health-care initiative. The new Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee chairman, Edwin Erickson, is supportive. Cities and towns have gradually passed smoking ban ordinances and public support stands at an all-time high, he said.
"What's changed is public opinion," said Greenleaf.
Just last year, however, the House took up the issue under a bill sponsored by Greenleaf's legislative neighbor, former Rep. Sue Cornell, a Montgomery County Republican. But the bill, which was bombarded by objections from bar and tavern owners and other businesses, never left committee.
Greenleaf's bill, considered fairly comprehensive in its coverage, also could be skewered. Committee members hinted that it would not likely pass as is, given continued concerns over personal liberty and business interests.
In a rush to get it to the floor for debate, the committee made no amendments.
The committee meeting was standing room only.
"There is opposition. You saw that room," said Greenleaf.
As is, Greenleaf's bill carves out only a few exceptions to the ban: private residences, a certain number of rooms at hotels (25 percent), and businesses that handle tobacco.
Violators would be fined up to $100 for first offenses and up to $500 for repeated offenses in a given year. Local ordinances could regulate smoking more stringently, according to the bill.
"It's a very comprehensive and very strong bill for Pennsylvania," said American Lung Association spokeswoman Deborah Brown.
The bill passed committee in a 9 to 2 vote. One of the dissenters, Venango County Republican Sen. Mary Jo White, said she is "concerned about the state's role" in a ban and wondered about how far it would go.
"What about businesses run out of homes?" she said. "What about country clubs, prisons? I don't know."
But Montgomery County Sen. Robert Wonderling said he doesn't like the idea of picking and choosing who must comply.
"Collectively, if we're in for a dime, we're in for a dollar," said Wonderling. "If it's really a matter of public health, you can't have exemptions for prisons and casinos."
Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.
