Press Release – Small Business Testifies Against Smoking Ban

18 03 2009

I got the following press release from the Michigan Licensed Beverage assocation in regards to this morning’s committee hearing regarding the smoking ban.  I don’t agree with it and there’s no proof that this has happened anywhere else, but it’s the case they’re trying to make.  Again, I can give you names of owners that were against a smoking ban in other states only to find out business was BETTER after it was enacted.

Small Business Advocates Testify

to Save Michigan Jobs

 

Bar owners fight to survive Michigan economy

 

LANSING, Mich. — Legislators are putting hundreds of small businesses and thousands of jobs at risk with the threat of a statewide smoking ban, members of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association (MLBA) told the House Regulatory Reform Committee today.  The MLBA urged lawmakers to protect small businesses across the state by voting against a statewide smoking ban.

            “A statewide smoking ban is a ban on thousands of Michigan jobs,” said Lance Binoniemi, executive director of the Michigan Licensed and Beverage Association. “Given Michigan’s dire economy, any unnecessary regulations on small businesses are downright economically irresponsible.”

Binoniemi and MLBA members – Rick Roberson, owner of Angelo’s & Riccardo’s in Hesperia; Rick Swindlehurst, owner of  the Blue Gator Sports Pub and Grill and Cheers Neighborhood Grill & Bar in Mount Pleasant; Dave Munson, owner or the Summer Trail Inn in Standish; and Kassandra Renneberg, owner of the Riverdale Tavern in Riverdale Michigan – made the case that forcing Michigan businesses to compete with American Indian-owned casinos that would be exempt from any state-sanctioned smoking ban, would directly put hundreds of Michigan businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Michigan currently has more than 750 businesses surrounding its American Indian-owned casinos.

 “Enacting a statewide smoking ban will gamble away thousands of Michigan jobs,” said Michael Batterbee, director of government relations for the Small Business Association of Michigan.  

“With the highest unemployment rate in the nation, now is not the time to put a single Michigan job at risk.”

More than 5,500 businesses in Michigan’s hospitality industry have already made the decision to go smoke-free and the number keeps growing. The hospitality industry is Michigan’s second largest employer, providing thousands of food-service careers and millions of dollars in payroll and business taxes to the state.

 “All businesses are not the same. If a business owner has built a clientele that chooses to smoke, they should be able to serve that customer base they have worked so hard to obtain.” said Binoniemi. “Lawmakers have a serious responsibility to struggling business owners all over the state to ensure they are able to keep their business – and Michigan – competitive.”

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Home of Marlboro Bans Smoking

9 03 2009

So the state with the largest cigarette manufacturing factory can ban smoking in most public places but Michigan can’t because of a few casino’s?

The home state of Marlboro and the world’s largest cigarette factory is set to ban most smoking in restaurants and bars.

Gov. Tim Kaine plans to sign legislation on Monday in Virginia Beach that takes effect Dec. 1.

Kaine worked for years for a total ban on smoking in all restaurants. The bill that lawmakers passed last month falls short of that but generally restricts smoking to separate rooms that have their own ventilation.

Virginia has grown tobacco for 400 years. Philip Morris churns out Marlboros and Virginia Slims at the world’s largest cigarette factory in Richmond.


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Could Liquor License Renewal Fees Increase?

24 02 2009

That’s one of Jennifer Granholm’s proposal’s for balancing the budget.  I saw this story in the Jackson Citizen-Patriot late last week.

Local bar owners are not happy with what Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to serve up in 2010 — a doubling of their annual liquor license renewal fees.

Granholm is seeking to raise the fees — which haven’t been increased since 1976 — as a way to help solve the state’s massive budget deficit.

“It’s a 100 percent tax increase,” said Jeff Veach, owner of Veach’s Office Bar in downtown Jackson.

So, it’s been 30 years since there’s been an increase in liquor license renewal fees.  30 years!  That seems like a long time.  With the rate of inflation, a doubling of the fees seems cheap.  It sucks that it could happen now when everyone is struggling.  It’s kind of a vicious cycle.  If business fees aren’t increased, then they’ll have to find another stream of revenue such as property or income tax hikes, but it just seems like doing business in Michigan is getting harder and harder.


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How Much Caffeine is in Energy Drinks?

17 02 2009

You may not know right now, but Senator Michael Switalski (D-Roseville)  wants you to.

State Sen. Michael Switalski says a “caffeine race” is escalating in the marketplace. The Roseville Democrat wants to require the makers of Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy and other drinks to put caffeine content on their labels.the U.S. Food and Drug Administration generally oversees food and beverage labeling.

Switalski says the products are marketed toward youth, and parents need information to control children’s caffeine intake. The bill may not get far because

I don’t know about you, but even if they put a number on the can, I would have no idea what a lot or too much is.  Hell, for kids, it will probably just encourage them to buy more.  I can remember going for Jolt Cola when I was kid because it had more caffeine than Mt. Dew…it was kind of the cool thing to do.

The bill is SB 0230 and right now, it’s been referred to the Committee on Commerce and Tourism


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Press Release – Granholm Smoking Ban Remarks in State of State

10 02 2009

From a Campaign for Smokefree Air press release….

Granholm once again calls on lawmakers to enact smokefree legislation in her State of the State address

LANSING, Mich. –During her State of the State address, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, once again, strongly urged Michigan lawmakers to pass comprehensive smokefree workplace legislation.

“We again applaud the governor’s comments tonight and her support for smokefree air,” said Susan Schechter, CSA spokesperson and director of advocacy at the American Lung Association of Michigan. “Many lawmakers have done their research and know that in 2006 U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona released a report stating the only way to protect Americans from secondhand smoke is through comprehensive smokefree workplace legislation and policies. It’s time for lawmakers to stop dancing around the issue and finally listen to the state’s leader as well as their constituents and pass comprehensive smokefree air legislation this year.” Read the rest of this entry »


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House Bill 4099 – The New Smoking Ban Bill

26 01 2009

Doesn’t it figure?  I just put a post up this afternoon about the smoking ban bill not being filed.  A few hours later, I get a comment on that post with a link to a Flint Journal story.  The bill was introduced last Thursday and sent to the Commerce Committee.  Today, the bill was filed which is why it just showed up on the Legislature’s website. 

HB 4099 differs from the bill introduced last year because it is a total ban on smoking…including casino’s and cigar bars.  That was a big issue a few months ago.  The Detroit legislators don’t want and probably won’t let the bill pass without an exemption for the casinos. 

To me, a ban with the those two exemptions is acceptable.  I don’t like it.  I think if the casinos are exempted, then bars (not any place that serves any kind food) should be exempted as well and I don’t want to see that.  Exemptions start a slippery slope and everyone thinks they should be an exemption.  It’s not a matter of Big Brother telling you want to do as the tobacco lobby will try to tell you.  I can’t think of any other thing that people are allowed to do that makes others physically uncomfortable.  If smokers had an ounce of respect for people around them, this wouldn’t be an issue, but most smokers feel like it’s their god given right to make everyone around them uncomfortable.

I wouldn’t expect this to move pretty fast.  In the overall scheme of things, this bill isn’t high priority.  Michigan has bigger problems than a smoking ban and I would guess they will drag it out to the next election.  You don’t want people to forget that you voted in favor of the ban.  It’s one of those social issues that get people on both sides fired up.


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What’s Up With the Smoking Ban?

26 01 2009

A few weeks ago, I posted a press release fromincoming Representative Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc).  In that release, he said he was going to introduce a smoking ban on the first day of session which was on January 14.  I had been checking the Legislature website looking for the bill, but hadn’t been able to find it, so I e-mailed Rep. Scott to find out what the hold up was.  I got an answer today.

I am going to introduce the smoking ban bill as soon as possible. The legislature hasn’t read in any bills yet but hopefully I will be able to during session on Feb. 3rd. 

If you would like to look up what I’m going to propose you can go onto the legislature website and look up Bill Number 4163 for the 2007-2008 session.  The bill proposed by Brenda Clack is the same one I am introducing this year.
OK, so hopefully we’ll see something filed next week.  Then the legislature can sit on it again two years until election time.

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…And it Begins Again

8 01 2009

Like most people figured, it didn’t take long.  I got the following press release from Rep. Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc) who will introduce a bill next week when the legislature convenes to ban smoking outright.

Scott pushes for statewide smoking ban

Lawmaker unveils bill to protect public health

Citing a groundswell of support from local residents and a clear public health threat to the people of Michigan, state Rep. Paul Scott today unveiled landmark legislation to ban smoking in all public places in the state.

Scott will be the first state lawmaker to introduce the legislation this session. The Legislature tried unsuccessfully last year to ban smoking in public. Scott’s bill would ban smoking in all public places, with no exceptions.

“Secondhand smoke represents a clear and present danger to all Michigan residents, especially children, and efforts must continue in Lansing to protect the public,” said Scott, R-Grand Blanc. “People overwhelmingly want this ban. I talked with thousands of local residents during the last few months and there is steadfast support for a smoking ban.”

Scott also dismissed the argument that a smoking ban would hurt businesses.

“These naysayers evidently haven’t frequented Little Joe’s in Grand Blanc on a Friday night,” Scott said. “Businesses that have voluntarily banned smoking are thriving for good reason. Michigan residents don’t want to be forced to breathe tobacco smoke when they go out in public.”

There is mounting evidence that breathing tobacco smoke is unhealthy. A study released just this week shows that heart attacks dramatically decreased in Pueblo, Colo. after the city banned smoking in public places in 2003. Hospital admissions decreased by 41 percent after the ban, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5751a1.htm

Secondhand smoke kills an estimated 46,000 nonsmokers annually from heart attacks in the United States. An estimated 150,000 to 300,000 children under 18 months of age also get pneumonia or bronchitis every year from breathing secondhand tobacco smoke, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“A statewide smoking ban would be a game changer for people’s health and well-being,” Scott said. “The jury is out when it comes to the harmful effects of smoke. Not only is secondhand smoke a threat, but now we’re learning about the harmful effects of so-called third-hand smoke.”

“Third-hand smoke” is the dangerous matter from tobacco smoke that can get into a smoker’s hair and clothing. Young people, especially infants, can be negatively affected if they come in contact with the toxins.

Scott will formally introduce the smoking ban bill next Wednesday, on the first day of session.

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Press Release – Bottle Bill Sent to Governor

19 12 2008

From a Michigan Senate press release –

Bills to stop bottle deposit fraud sent to governor

LANSING — Legislation to help prevent Michigan from losing more than $10 million annually in fraudulent bottle deposit refunds is on its way to the governor, said bill sponsors Sens. Ron Jelinek and Cameron S. Brown.

The bipartisan, bicameral package of legislation requires reverse vending machines (RVM) to be retrofitted with new technology to prevent out-of-state bottles and cans from being returned in Michigan for the 10-cent deposit.

“Today is a great day for the state and for our retailers along the border who are taking the brunt of the fraud and will now have a means of preventing it from happening,” said Jelinek, R-Three Oaks. “This new technology will do wonders to keep out-of-state containers from being redeemed in Michigan and to keep state money in the state.”

The legislation:

> Requires unique markings on returnable beverage containers sold in Michigan designating them  as Michigan-only;

> Requires reverse vending machines used in Michigan to correctly identify and reject non-Michigan bought beverage containers;

> Establishes a fund to help reimburse manufacturers for the costs of the RVM retrofits in the two tiers of counties along Michigan’s southern border as required by the new law; and

> Revises and adds new penalties for consumers who return and dealers who accept out-of-state containers.

“This problem has been neglected for far too long and is especially acute along the border counties,” said Brown, R-Fawn River Twp. “As chair of the Michigan Beverage Container and Recycling Task Force, I am pleased to see this legislative package advance to the governor. Addressing fraudulent redemptions was a key component of the task force’s 2003 report and these bills will help collect revenue the state is currently losing. They will also help retailers who administer the bottle returns by paying for the cost of the upgrades to their reverse vending machines.”

The bills in the package are Senate Bills 1532 and 1648 and House Bills 5147, 6441 and 6442.


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Press Release – “Michigan Legislature Delivers Lump of Coal”

19 12 2008

From a Campaign for Smoke Free Michigan press release –

Michigan Legislature delivers lump of coal – no smokefree air for state residents
CSA frustrated with disregard for public health

Lansing, Mich. – Unable to work on a final compromise for smokefree air in Michigan, the state Legislature wrapped up Lame Duck this week and left the legislation to die.

Since both the House and Senate had passed different versions of House Bill 4163, the bill was sent to a conference committee to work out the differences. (The House had passed a version with exemptions in 2007; the Senate passed a version with no exemptions earlier this year). But leadership from each chamber was unable to work together on a final bill, and have left Lansing for the year.

“In the end, political gamesmanship is the only winner here,” said Susan Schechter, spokesperson for CSA and director of advocacy for the American Lung Association of Michigan. “Michigan workers are holding their breathe waiting for this law to pass. The leaders of these chambers know the public wants smokefree air, they have seen the science and economic numbers behind the movement, but instead they are listening to the dollars from Big Tobacco, casino and restaurant industries that flow into their campaign coffers.

“We have worked hard to educate lawmakers on the benefits of going smokefree and despite Michigan residents’ support on this issue, a select few legislators have chose to disregarded the public’s health and kill the bill. It’s an utter shame and a waste of time and money to start over this legislative process again in 2009, but that’s exactly what we have to do.”

Schecter did thank Reps. Brenda Clack, D-Flint, Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale and Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell and Sens. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond and Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt for their hard work and dedication to smokefree legislation during the conference committee.

Currently, more than half of Americans live in a city or state with smokefree workplace protection laws (34 states have smokefree workplace laws in effect). Gov. Jennifer Granholm has called on legislators to pass statewide smokefree legislation and vowed to sign the bill if it crossed her desk. CSA plans to continue to fight for smokefree air in 2009.


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