Feb 14, 2007 5:24 pm US/Central
Smoking Ban Stays Alive As Committee Hearings Drag
St. Paul (AP) ―
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The critical moment revolved around an amendment that would have allowed smoking to continue in bars, defined as establishments that get more than half their sales from alcohol. It failed on a vote of 8-9, with one member absent. (File)
AP
The 18 members of the Senate Business, Industry and Jobs Committee have yet to take a final vote on legislation to outlaw smoking in bars, restaurants and other Minnesota workplaces. But the panel quashed two attempts to weaken the ban on Wednesday.
The critical moment revolved around an amendment that would have allowed smoking to continue in bars, defined as establishments that get more than half their sales from alcohol. It failed on a vote of 8-9, with one member absent.
An attempt to exempt bingo halls from the ban also came up short on a 7-10 vote.
The committee made several smaller changes to the bill; the most notable would reduce the penalties for bar and restaurant proprietors who knowingly violated the smoking ban.
It was the committee's second hearing devoted to the smoking ban this week, with hours of testimony from supporters and opponents. Chairman James Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul, said the panel won't reconvene to consider more amendments and take a final vote until next week at the earliest.
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Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death in the United
States. In 2005, it was estimated that, each year, exposure to
secondhand smoke in the United States kills more than 3,000 adult
nonsmokers from lung cancer and approximately 46,000 from coronary
heart disease.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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