GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES RESTAURANT SMOKING BAN

Lawmakers in Virginia have passed a partial ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. The measure restricts smoking to separately ventilated rooms in restaurants, to private clubs and to outdoor patios. The bill now goes to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who supports it.

Some Key Points:
-The measure, SB1105, bans smoking in bars and restaurants except for private clubs, facilities with separate smoking areas equipped with independent ventilation systems and establishments that have open-air outdoor patios.

-Other provisions in the legislation would make it effective Dec. 1, 2009 and permit bar and restaurant employees to work outside designated smoking areas without facing professional punishment.

-That legislation, SB1106, would have made it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when a child is present and created a $100 penalty for violations.

Read the story here.

Senate rejects House changes that weaken anti-smoking bill
The Virginian-Pilot/ February 16, 2009

The Senate today rebuffed House amendments to a proposed statewide smoking ban for most bars and restaurants.

The bill’s patron, Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, asked the Senate to reject the changes that the House of Delegates passed last week, calling them unacceptable.

One of the House amendments would have allowed smoking in any establishment during hours that they did not admit minors. Another removed a requirement that businesses install separate ventilation systems if they wish to provide a room for smokers; the amendment required only that a door separate the smoking room.

Northam said the amendments “basically were unacceptable” to a lot of the people who have worked on the proposed ban. The legislation carried some bipartisan support with endorsements from both Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford.

Northam said he believed lawmakers will be able to build support over the next few days for something closer to the original legislation.

The Senate complied with his request and rejected the House amendments by a vote of 11-28. The bill now goes back to the House.

The power shift is playing out in the trenches
The Virginian-Pilot/ February 15, 2009

By the time Del. Terry Kilgore finished gouging out exceptions to a proposed smoking ban last week, the bill couldn't have doused a cigarette in a typhoon.

Backed by a band of rural Republicans and Democrats, the far Southwest lawmaker enjoyed a fleeting victory. Kilgore believes the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars will pass despite his opposition, and the future promises fresh defeats.

In 2011, House and Senate districts will be adjusted to account for population shifts in the state. The balance of power will tilt more sharply toward suburban communities in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

"Rural Virginia is probably on their last hurrah right now," said Kilgore, who lives the farthest from the Capitol of all 140 legislators. "We're going to be outnumbered big time after the next Census."

Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/power-shift-playing-out-trenches