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Public Smoking Bill Passes House Committee

San Francisco Sentinel

A Kentucky House committee has approved a ban on indoor smoking in public places and private businesses across the commonwealth. The House Health & Welfare Committee voted 10 to 3. It would provide an exemption for open spaces, and will also apply to e-cigarettes.

Bill sponsor Susan Westrom says the ban is needed to improve the health of all Kentuckians regardless if they smoke, and will affect a variety of workplaces.

“What they haven’t considered is, we’re not just talking about restaurants and bars. We’re talking about people who work in manufacturing companies, who work in law practices, who work in insurance companies. It’s amazing, the different types of places people work. It’s not just restaurants and bars,” says Westrom.

Dissenting Republicans questioned what the ban would mean for personal freedoms. The bill now heads to a floor debate in the House. Sen. Julie Denton, who testified in support of the bill, has filed companion legislation in the Senate.

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