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Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) 

1. I thought the powerful Tavern League of Wisconsin could have defeated the smoking ban again this year. Why did the TLW compromise if they could have killed the bill again?

We could not have killed the bill. Last session there were 18 authors of the bill this year there were 34 authors. Unlike last session, Governor Doyle took the unprecedented step of including an extreme smoking ban in his state budget bill. He had us in a very difficult position – either compromise or risk passage of his smoking ban in the budget. Governor Doyle’s bill would have taken effect August 1st and allowed local governments to ban outdoor smoking and fine business owners up to $500 for violations. Based on that information the TLW Board of Directors unanimously agreed to seek a compromise which would include three main provisions. 1. A year long phase in, 2. Pre-emption of local smoking ordinances, and 3. Lower fines. The compromise accomplished that objective. Some members have said we should have fought to the bitter end. Our objective was to defeat the smoking ban and when that became unachievable we tried as best we could to do what was in the best interest of the Membership.

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