Smoke-Free Oklahoma and Tulsa restaurant owner Ken Selby held a Capitol press conference Monday to call for abolishing smoke rooms in restaurants and ending smoking in bars.

Selby, the owner and operator of Mazzio’s and Oliveto restaurants, said his restaurants saw an increase in business when they went smoke-free a decade ago.

“Several years ago and considerably before there were any regulatory laws against smoking in restaurants, I made the decision to discontinue smoking in all restaurants operated by our company,” Selby said. “Soon thereafter, all franchised Mazzio’s restaurants followed suit, and the results were all positive. Our employees’ exposure to harmful secondhand smoke was eliminated, and we experienced no decline in our revenues.”

NO FALLOUT FROM SMOKEOUT Ken Selby: "Several years ago, I made the decision to discontinue smoking in all restaurants operated by our company," said the Mazzio's and Oliveto owner. "The results were all positive. Our employees' exposure to harmful secondhand smoke was eliminated, and we experienced no decline in our revenues."

Tammy Padgett, a volunteer with the American Cancer Society, praised Steele’s efforts with House Bill 2744 but said the measure does not go far enough.

The measure would provide a tax credit to those who built the smoking rooms if they close them, among other things.

Steele, the House speaker designate, said that at this point, he doesn’t support a mandate, adding that his measure is voluntary.

“I appreciate the efforts and the help of the Smoke-Free Coalition and ultimately, I am convinced we want the same thing,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “We just

have two different approaches in trying to achieve that goal.”

Smoke-Free Oklahoma is a coalition of public health organizations that are concerned about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

“Over 7,000 cities in the United States and 28 states have comprehensive smoke-free laws that protect all workers and the public from exposure to secondhand smoke,” said Pat Marshall, co-chairwoman of the coalition.

Senate Bill 1809 by Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, would have required restaurants and bars to be smoke-free but made an exception for cigar bars. The measure did not get assigned to a committee, Myers said.

source: tulsaworld.com

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