Jump to full article: Boston (MA) Herald, 2003-10-22
Author: Elisabeth J. Beardsley
Intro: Party-hearty Democrats would be able to sneak over the Boston line and smoke 'em if they've got 'em during next summer's national convention, after state lawmakers quietly tweaked the starting date for a statewide smoking ban that's slated for approval today.
Lawmakers initially scheduled the ban to take effect in January 2005, but moved the date up after criticism of the long lag time.
The official version of the bill that popped out of committee yesterday sets the smoking ban's starting date for Aug. 2 - the weekend after the Democratic National Convention leaves town.
The oddball nature of the smoking ban's date raised eyebrows among Republicans, since new laws almost always take effect 90 days after passage or at the start of the fiscal or calendar year.
House Republican Leader Bradley H. Jones charged the Aug. 2 date smacks of a straightforward handout for the Democrats who will swarm over the region's bars and restaurants next summer. . . .
The city of Boston has its own local smoking ban, which would still be in effect.
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