Senate action on smoking good for state

By Staff
The state Senate passed a bill this week that would ban smoking in all public places.
The bill, which now goes to the House of Representatives, would ban smoking in all indoor workplaces, even those not usually open to the public.
If enacted, the bill will ban smoking in restaurants, retail stores, theaters and most all public indoor areas. The proposed law also would ban smoking at some outdoor locations such as bleachers, grandstands, seating areas of arenas and amphitheaters or anywhere within 10 feet of the entrance, window or ventilation system of a place where smoking is banned.
It is a bill that will draw criticism from some because it could be looked at as in infringement on some people's rights, particularly business owners.
But it will allow some people more freedom in choosing where they want to eat supper, where they want to sit at a ballgame and what stores they can enter.