Shame on Virginia..

April 5, 2007 - Shame on Virginia - the Virginia General Assembly rejected Gov. Tim Kaine's proposal for a statewide smoking ban. The house voted 59-40 against the ban, which would have made Virginia the 22nd state with such laws. Under Kaine's bill, proposed as an amendment to legislation sponsored by House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, smoking would have been prohibited in all Virginia restaurants unless the restaurant posted a sign reading "Smoking Permitted." "I am disappointed that lawmakers chose not to adopt my common-sense efforts to restrict smoking in restaurants," Kaine said in a statement. "The scientific evidence about the bad health effects of secondhand smoke is not in dispute, and my amendment would have protected the health of restaurant employees and patrons." (by Erin Killian, Baltimore Business Journal)