Lung Association wants ban on public smoking
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Published: January 7, 2005
BURLINGTON (AP) — The American Lung Association wants Vermont to ban all smoking in restaurants and bars.
At least one bill banning smoking in such public places likely will be proposed this legislative session, which began Wednesday.
Rebecca Ryan, manager of government relations for the American Lung Association of Vermont, said local bans passed in Burlington, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski will help create more advocates in the Legislature.
"We're not hearing here that people are leaving the smoke-free areas of Chittenden County to go to other communities," Ryan said. "We're trying to work statewide with as many legislators as we can."
Legislators said Wednesday the prospects for such a bill were better this session than last year. Retired House Speaker Walter Freed, R-Dorset, openly opposed the measure, and it languished without passage.
Assistant Minority Leader David Sunderland, R-Rutland Town, said there was a lot of interest in the issue. Bills will be dispatched soon to committees, to which lawmakers will be assigned this week. Committee support is essential to a bill's passage.
"I'd urge all towns to take a look at this and do what's best for them," Sunderland said. "I'm very encouraged by what's happened in Burlington and in Winooski. I'd like to see some towns take a look at it before it happens statewide."
Rep. Ann Pugh, D-South Burlington, pushed for the local ban in her home city. She said the complaint by local businesses that a statewide law would make the system more fair is valid, and the state should ban smoking as a whole instead of in a piecemeal fashion.
"Vermont is losing ground," Pugh said. "We have been since we were out front close to 10 years ago when we passed the Clean Indoor Air Act."
That law stopped smoking in most Vermont restaurants in May 1995. At the time, it was one of the strictest laws in the country. Now California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island have statewide smoking bans. Florida is smoke-free except in bars that do not serve any type of prepared food.
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