Pennsylvania Senate Approves Smoking Ban
A week after it rejected the bill, the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday reversed course and approved a statewide ban on smoking in public places.
The measure, Senate Bill 246, now goes to Gov. Ed Rendell, who is expected to sign it.
The measure would take effect 90 days after Rendell signs it.
The vote came a week after the Senate voted 31 to 19 to reject the bill, which, if enacted, would ban smoking in all public indoor facilities, except for some bars, private clubs and casinos. The state House previously approved the bill by a 163-38 vote.
Among the exempted venues: bars that draw 20 percent or less of annual revenue in food sales, as well as cigar bars, tobacco shops and private clubs whose officers agree to allow smoking.
State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery/Bucks, who first introduced antismoking legislation 15 years ago, said the bill’s approval “has been a long time coming.”
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Tags: Smoking ban