Kansas - public smoking ban effective July 1, 2010.


February 26, 2010 - The Kansas House passed a statewide public smoking ban Thursday, February 25th and sent it to Gov. Mark Parkinson. If Parkinson signs the legislation as expected, Kansas will join nearly 40 states that have some statewide restrictions on where smokers can light up. The ban would go into effect July 1, 2010.

Today's vote was 68-54. Supporters said they were tired of waiting as ban proposals languished for years on the legislative agenda. "While we continue to debate and debate... people are dying," said Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican and a physician. "People are becoming ill, and they are asking you to help them." In the end, supporters of the ban used a procedural move to force a vote on the legislation on House floor Thursday. Since the Senate has already passed the measure it now goes straight to Parkinson, who has said he supports a ban.

The proposed ban would prohibit smoking in bars, restaurants, workplaces, 80 percent of hotel rooms and taxi cabs. Casino floors, tobacco shops, private clubs and designated smoking rooms in hotels would be exempt. The ban will not replace stricter local smoking bans now in place. Some 39 Kansas cities and counties – including most in the metro area – already ban smoking to some degree.

For years health advocates pushed bills to outlaw smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces only to see them snuffed out or tabled by skeptical lawmakers. Last year the Senate endorsed the legislation but the House never voted on the measure. Lawmakers who pushed for a statewide ban for years told their colleagues that Thursday’s vote would be one they could tell their grandchildren about.

“If you care about improving the health of Kansans, this is the most important vote you can make this year, perhaps in your entire legislative career,” said Rep. Jill Quigley, a Lenexa Republican..

Earlier this year, critics of a ban had proposed legislation that would allow restaurants and bars to opt out by paying a fee. But supporters of a stronger ban objected to that bill, saying it was disingenous. Critics of a statewide ban said smoking bans should be left to local governments. They called it hypocritical for the state to ban smoking in private businesses but not state-run casinos.

Reference: Kansas smoking ban passes, on its way to governor, submitted by David Klepper, Kansas City Star, 2/25/2010.

Related Kansas news briefs:
University of Kansas (KU) bans sale of tobacco starting July 1, 2010..;
Topeka, Kansas - opponents of smoking ban may drop petition drive..;
Kansas - cigarette tax hike likely in 2010..;
Topeka, Kansas - some petitions to overthrow smoking ban missing..;
Topeka, Kansas - smoking ban takes effect Friday, December 4, 2010..;
Topeka, Kansas to ban public smoking indoors and at places of employment December 4, 2010..;
Kansas - cigarette makers fined, failed to pay into escrow accounts..;
Kansas City, Missouri - court upholds smoking ban..;







1 comments:

  Anonymous

February 27, 2010 at 8:30 AM

Johnson and Johnson, makers of Chantix and Nicoderm, fund the bans through their Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-RWJohnsnF.html

Many tax exempt political action committees (charities?) received millions to sell smoking bans from RWJ Foundation. These bans are nothing but clever marketing strategy, with lots of highly publicized "sky is falling" hype

http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?ia=143&id=14912

And what the 99 million dollars was going to. Note on page seven the "inside -out", provision going for patios later, AFTER business owners spend thousands of dollars to build them to accommodate their smoking customers, clearly showing that the tobacco control activists have ABSOLUTLY NO CONCERN about local issues or businesses. You may need to CTRL and scoll to enlarge it.

http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/CIA_Fundamentals.pdf

Prohibition is their next goal.

http://alcoholfacts.org/RWJfoundation.html