Now You Know How the Rest of Us Feel

31 07 2008

You can smoke in restaurants in Michigan, but apparently, you can only smoke approved cancer sticks at some joints.

“On Saturday my brother and I were enjoying breakfast at Fleetwood Diner (on South Cedar Street). This is our normal destination for meetings, and has been since the diner opened.

“As usual, when we finished our meal we sat and had cigarettes and talked about different issues.”

Suddenly the two men were asked to take it outside. It seems that the smoke from their peach-flavored cigarettes offended the nostrils of somebody who worked at the diner.

That’s how I feel every freaking time I walk into a restaurant that allows smoking, but I deal with it.  The Fleetwood just made a case for banning smoking in restaurants and they don’t even know it.  My nostrils are offended by all cigarettes…not just the flavored ones.  If you can you kick patrons out because you don’t like their certain cigs, you should ban smoking outright!


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Press Release – Make MI Air Smoke Free

28 07 2008

The group pushing for a smoking ban in Michigan is using a study from Illinois to further their cause.  Full disclosure, I was in favor of a smoking ban in Illinois the entire time they were debating it in the legislature.  I’ve also been back home a few times since the ban went into effect and I can tell you, not everyone is following it.  There is still a minority that refuse to follow the ban and here’s the kicker, there’s nothing that can be done to them.  The rules are still in JCAR and because of that, State’s Attorney’s don’t know how to prosecute or even what charge can be filed.  Even with that, the majority of places are following the law and no longer allow smoking.  My mom works at a small bar in the middle of the country on weekends as a waitress.  While the kitchen is open, the building is no smoking.  Once the kitchen closes and the dinner crowd clears out, the smokes come back out.  Anyway, here’s the info the Campaign for Smokefree Air wants you to know.

Illinois Survey Finds Even Stronger Support for Smokefree Air Law After it Takes Effect

Michigan’s Comprehensive Smokefree Air Legislation Held Captive in House

LANSING, MICH. – People in Illinois are even more supportive of a smokefree air law that went into effect at the beginning of this year than they were before it was approved.

According to a recent survey, 73 percent of people support the new smokefree air law; survey results showed a majority in every sector regardless of political, geographic and educational backgrounds.

“Speaker Andy Dillon has not allowed a concurrence vote on House Bill 4163 for some apparent fear of economic, political or social repercussion,” said Judy Stewart, spokesperson for the Campaign for Smokefree Air. “This survey is yet another example of the numerous positive effects and vast public support of smokefree air in all worksites, including bars, restaurants and casinos.”

House Bill 4163, Michigan’s proposed comprehensive smokefree legislation, was approved by the Senate in May and has been sitting in the House awaiting action ever since because Speaker Dillon refuses to hold a vote.

The Illinois survey also found that 38-percent of respondents are less likely to go to a smoke-filled casino, while only 17 percent are more likely to go to casinos if smoking is allowed.

Furthermore, 96 percent of respondents believe secondhand smoke is a health hazard. In addition, it was reported that 88 percent of all respondents and 68 percent of smokers believe restaurants, bars and casinos are healthier places for customers and employees under Illinois’ law.

“The people of Illinois supported the smokefree law and now, after living with it for six months, they support it even more,” Stewart said. “The people of Michigan support making all worksites in our state smokefree, including bars, restaurants and casinos. Sitting on the bill rather than allowing it to come up for a vote isn’t just about playing politics – it’s about playing with people’s lives.”


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Press Release – Secondhand Smoke Study

15 07 2008

The following press release was sent out by the Campaign for Smoke Free Air.  I haven’t posted anything about the smoking ban for a while because the state legislator is on summer break.  They will be coming back next week to take up a few issues.  Could the smoking ban be one of them?  I have no idea.

LANSING– Recent declines in the exposure of U.S. residents to deadly secondhand smoke is attributable to smokefree workplace policies like the one currently being held hostage in the Michigan House of Representatives. A new study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals the exposure levels of secondhand smoke have declined significantly among the U.S. population between 1988-1994 and 1999-2004.

“This study is another testament to the need for a smokefree worksite law, including restaurants, bars and casinos,” said Judy Stewart, spokesperson for the Campaign for Smokefree Air. “It’s becoming clearer every day that exposure to secondhand smoke is dangerous and the only way to combat those dangers is to have a smokefree law in place.” Read the rest of this entry »


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House May Give on Smoking Ban

19 06 2008

MIRS News is reporting that Houe Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit) may call the total ban (HB 4163) that the Senate passed for a vote if the Senate doesn’t act on the bill the House sent back to them. 

Tobocman said he will wait to “see if the Senate goes along with the exemptions,” but if it does not, House Democrats are prepared to adopt the Sen. Ray Basham (D-Taylor) bill that imposes an across-the-board smoking ban on every public place.

There is no timeframe given.  It sounds like they’re hoping the threat of passing the total ban will get the Senate to move on the ban with exemptions.  Sounds to me like he’s calling the Senate’s bluff.


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Smoking Bill Probably Delayed Until Winter

11 06 2008

MIRS is reporting today that the smoking ban bill is probably on hold until winter.

That’s because the Senate Majority Leader said today that the next move on the legislation is up to the House.

Senate Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester)said he has other fish to fry before he gets to the ban, adding, “I don’t know if we’re going to do much before the end of the year on this.” Read the rest of this entry »


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Another Smoking Ban Update

3 06 2008

I just read on MIRS News (I’m not going to link or copy their text here because it is a registration site) that there is a deal in the works for the smoking ban.  Sen. Bishop has said he will consider exempting the Detroit casinos and he will NOT sit on the bill.  He expects a vote after his caucus figures out what they want to do.


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Smoking Ban Bill Update

3 06 2008

HB 5074 has been transmitted to the Senate and today, it was referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Reform which is the same committee HB 4163 was referred to when it was sent to the Senate. 

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop discharged HB 4163 from committee for a vote on the floor.  At that time, the Senate ammended the bill to get rid of all exemptions.  At the time, Senator Bishop said he did not favor a smoking ban, but let the bill be called because that’s what the people wanted.  After passing the Senate, the House sat on the bill for a few days before calling a different bill, HB 5074 and using it as a vehicle bill.  They amended HB 5074 which was bill written to ban smoking in college dorms.  They struck all of that language and inserted the original language of HB 4163.  HB 5074 passed and was sent to the Senate.

How futile is this?  It took the Senate FIVE months to call HB 4163 then they changed it.  There’s only four weeks left in this session.  Does the House really think Sen. Bishop will allow another vote on the same bill they’ve already amended?  Currently, HB 4163 sits in the house.  They can still call this bill before the session ends and pass it without the exemptions.  HB 5074 sits in committee and will probably die there.  The Committee on Government Operations and Reform hasn’t met since November, so there won’t even be a committee vote on the issue.

The Detroit News ran a story this morning ont the debate.  There was one part in particular I had a problem with.

After Ohio voters approved a ban in 2006, bars in Toledo were hammered and many patrons flocked to bars just across the state line such as M.T. Loonies in southern Monroe County. Sales rose 20 percent to 30 percent and the crush of smokers prompted general manager Craig Herbster, 26, to hire six more workers.

 What about Cleveland?  What about Cincinatti?  What about Columbus?  The paper chose to pick one metro area close to a state that doesn’t ban smoking.  I’m not denying that people are doing that, but let’s look at Michigan’s case.  Obviously, people are not going to flock to Ohio to smoke because they can’t.  They can’t run to Canada.  There will be a small stretch near the Indiana border and a small stretch of the UP along the Wisconsin border that will have to deal with this for a little while. Michigan is in a unique situation that the borders of non-smoking states are relatively small.  There might be a tiny percentage of business leaving Michigan so they can smoke in a bar, but a percentage so small no one will even notice.


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Campaign for Smoke Free Air Optimistic

28 05 2008

Even though I’v been a vocal supporter of an outright ban, I think today’s vote was the nail in the coffin.  I really don’t see Sen. Bishop letting a second, yet exact same, version of the smoking ban being called before the session ends on June 26.  However, the lobbyists disagree with me.

Lansing, Mich. – The Campaign for Smokefree Air (CSA) is encouraged today by the state House’s actions in moving the smokefree bill forward, but is disappointed that it chose to include exemptions, causing the bill to be sent to the other chamber. “We were pleased by the additional support in the House, in that nine more representatives see the need for smokefree air. However, we are concerned that the House did not concur with the Senate passed version and instead allowed exemptions,” said Susan Schechter, spokesperson for CSA. “All employees deserve the same protections from secondhand smoke. We will continue to work with both chambers to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace bill.”

The House passed a vehicle bill, HB 5074, which is essentially the same bill that was passed by the chamber in December. The bill was approved 65-39, and sent back to the Senate for consideration.

Of the 33 states that already have smokefree workplace laws, more than two dozen regulate smoking inside casinos, including six that provide smokefree gaming areas and halls. Three more states (Montana, Nebraska and Oregon) will expand their smokefree policies to include casinos in 2009. The city council in Atlantic City recently voted to close the loophole in New Jersey’s law that exempted casinos — all worksites in the city will be smokefree starting in October.

 


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HB 4163 Wednesday Update

28 05 2008

The House of Representatives has already ended their session today without voting on HB 4163.  There was discussion of the bill when they were voting on HB 5074 which bans smoking in college dormotories.  There was a discussion of why they need to pass this bill if HB 4163 would pretty much ban smoking in all workplaces.

UPDATE – The Lansing State-Journal put an article on-line saying the House DID in fact pass a smoking ban bill this afternoon. However, it was not HB 4163 which was sent back to by the Senate.  I went back and looked at the text of HB 5074 as passed this afternoon and it is THAT bill that was passed with the same language as the original HB 4163.

This is why I should pay attention when I’m watching The House.  I heard them talking about the the smoking ban during the discussion, but the bill title was about college dorms.  If you look at the enrolled bill and the passed bill, they don’t even resemble each other other than the word smoking.

So, to make this clear, what happened was the House passed the same bill they passed originally exempting Casino’s, bingo halls, and cigar bars.  The bill goes back to the Senate which will now have to vote, again, on the same bill they’ve already amended and sent back to the House.  In short, things have probably hit a permanent road block.


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Could the House Vote on the Smoking Ban Tonight?

27 05 2008

I’ve got House TV on in the background and at 7:45 PM, they’re still in session.   I’ve heard from friends in the media that phone calls to both caucuses and the Clerk have had some wierd answers.  The Democrats caucused for quite a while late this afternoon and as of this writing, the House “At Ease At The Call Of The Chair.”   I’ll keep the video feed up while I’m watching TV tonight to see if anything happens. 

8:07 PM – The House has been called back to order.

8:20 PM – I’ve been told by that same friend that the House has “a lot of business” to deal with and they are planning on staying late into the night.  Still wouldn’t answer whether HB 4163 would be called tonight or not.

8:29 PM – In another surprise move, the House in now voting on SB 776 which is the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, so it looks like they really are expecting a long night.

10:54 – They are STILL in session.  They just announced there will be no further voting tonight, but the House will be back in session tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 10 AM instead of their usual 1:30 PM start time.


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