Legislation must still be approved by the State House
Jump to full article: Traverse City (MI) Record-Eagle, 2008-05-09
Author: LINDSAY VANHULLE and BRIAN McGILLIVARY Record-Eagle staff writers
Intro: A statewide ban moved a step closer to reality Thursday when the Michigan Senate voted to prohibit smoking in all bars, restaurants and workplaces.
"Hot damn, you're kidding me," said Grand Traverse County Commissioner Herb Lemcool when he heard of the vote. Lemcool has tried and failed for years to get the county board to ban smoking in public places. "That is awesome. This is great news."
Lemcool said legislation that bans smoking is needed to protect employees who don't smoke from dangerous exposure to secondhand smoke.
The 25-12 Senate vote, a major development in efforts to enact a smoking ban in the state, came after a Democratic senator asked to discharge legislation from a committee where bills traditionally have gone to die.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, allowed a vote despite personally opposing the bill.
Jump to full article » |