State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, will hold Senate legislation hostage unless he gets a Senate vote on a statewide smoking ban. Brown said Wednesday he is sending a message to the Senate by refusing to sign Senate Bill 175 until two state senators sign House Bill 1132, which contains the smoking ban. Neither proposal can advance from conference committee to a final floor vote until two members of each chamber agree to the language in each measure ... Jump to full article >>

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Smokers would have to snub out their cigarettes before entering Evansville bars and restaurants under an amended smoking ban proposed by a City Councilman. But patrons of Casino Aztar could continue puffing while they gamble. Councilman Dan Adams, D-At Large, submitted the amendment today, saying he doesn’t think the city’s current ban does enough to protect the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke. “Almost all of the major of cities ... Jump to full article >>

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Huber Heights bar owner Dave Grusenmeyer says he’s pleased with a Columbus judge’s decision that throws a potential wrench into the way Ohio’s statewide smoking ban is being enforced. “What it’s going to mean is that they get things changed around so I once again will have the right to run my business the way I choose to run it,” Grusenmeyer, owner of the Beacon Lounge and president of the Miami Valley Licensed Beverage Association, s ... Jump to full article >>

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Utah lawmakers on Tuesday passed a proposed ban on smoking in a vehicle in which children are riding. HB82, sponsored by Rep. Jay Seegmiller, D-Sandy, would bar smoking in the vehicle when a child younger than 8 and requiring a restraining device is present. The proposed penalty is a $45 ticket. Several lawmakers argued passionately for keeping children from breathing various chemicals in cigarette smoke, and Seegmiller said the children have no ... Jump to full article >>

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Former opponents of a statewide smoking ban have found a bill they can support. But advocates of a complete ban say House Bill 2642 does very little. The bill would create an indoor smoking ban somewhat similar to Wichita’s. Businesses could have indoor smoking if they paid a $1-per-square-foot annual fee. A business that allowed smoking would have to serve only customers older than 18, unless it had a sealed-off smoking section with a sepa ... Jump to full article >>

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A group of bar owners is asking for an exemption from the state’s three-year-old workplace smoking ban. They want state lawmakers to allow bars to pay an annual fee starting at $1,000 to allow smoking in their establishments. Only stand-alone bars — not restaurants — would be able to apply for the exemption. Proposals to create exemptions from the state’s workplace smoking ban have been introduced in each of the past three ... Jump to full article >>

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