There is an encouraging piece of news regarding the possibility of a statewide smoking ban in today’s Journal Sentinel. I have not seen any projections about whether or not it will pass, but if I do, I will be sure to post them here.
As expected, the Tavern League of WI opposes the ban (
Find out why).
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JSOnline, 4/18/07
By Stacy ForsterMadison - A bipartisan group of legislators has introduced legislation to ban smoking statewide in all workplaces, including restaurants and taverns.
Backers of the measure said it would create a level playing field for all businesses while protecting the health of workers in all industries.
Rep. Steve Wieckert (R-Appleton), the lead author in the Assembly, said a similar ban has worked well in Appleton and is the most practical approach to addressing the problem.
"It is simply unrealistic to have all of local Wisconsin governments pass their own versions of a smoking ban," Wieckert said at a press conference announcing the legislation.
A study of 1,500 bartenders in Madison and Appleton before and after smoking bans went into effect in those cities showed that upper respiratory symptoms were significantly lower among the bartenders after the bans were enacted. The results were released this week by the University of Wisconsin 's Comprehensive Cancer Center .
Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison), co-sponsor in the Senate, said the bill would be unacceptable if taverns were exempted.
Gov. Jim Doyle also called for a statewide smoking ban in his state of the state speech in January.
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