Jun 3, 2008 2:15 pm US/Eastern
Penna. Smoking Ban Bill Heads To House, Senate
HARRISBURG (AP) ―
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CBS
Legislative negotiators endorsed a compromise bill Tuesday that would greatly limit where smokers can light up in Pennsylvania, ending a protracted stalemate and guaranteeing a vote by the full Legislature on an issue that has smoldered for years.
After two hours of debate, a legislative conference committee voted 5-1 to ban smoking in most workplaces and public spaces, including restaurants, office buildings, bus and train stations and sports arenas.
But the bill contains a dozen exemptions. They include bars and taverns; tobacco shops; cigar bars; portions of casino floors, private clubs run by groups such as the Elks or Veterans of Foreign Wars; and as many as one-quarter of the rooms in hotels and other lodging establishments.
It also would bar any county or municipality from enacting its own smoking ban, but allow Philadelphia's current ban, the only active local smoking ban in the state, to stand.
The bill still requires approval by both the House and the Senate, but it cannot be amended on the floor. Votes are expected within days.
Through a spokesman, Gov. Ed Rendell urged speedy legislative approval and said he would sign the measure.
For months, the six legislators on the panel battled over which
establishments should be allowed to continue to allow smoking.
For the past month, they wrangled over whether Philadelphia and other local governments would be allowed to have their own smoking bans.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, who has introduced legislation to ban smoking in every legislative session since 1993, said he did not like the exemptions, but voted for the bill because he felt it was a step in the right direction.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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