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| State passes smoking ban |
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| News | |||
| Written by Aaron Cedeño | |||
| Wednesday, 03 March 2010 09:00 | |||
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The state of Kansas may be one small step from becoming smoke-free, but many Louisburg businesses are unlikely to notice much of a difference. This past Thursday, the Kansas House of Representatives passed House Bill 2221 — dubbed the Clean Indoor Air Act — which serves as a state-wide ban on smoking in public places. Gov. Mark Parkinson, who has supported the legislation in the past, lauded the bill’s passage. “I’m very happy with today’s passing of the Clean Indoor Air Act that will help reduce cancer and tobacco-related diseases in our state,” he said, in a Thursday news release. “This is a victory for workers, families, businesses and future generations. Today’s success took many years and many struggles, but thanks to a bipartisan coalition in the legislature, the tireless efforts of our state’s health advocates and the support of the Kansas people, this legislation will soon become law.” Local Kansas Rep. Jene Vickrey, however, voted against HB 2221; one of 54 representatives who elected to do so, as opposed to the 68 who voted in its favor. Though he acknowledges the Clean Air Act will likely have positive effects, Vickrey said, he had a number of reasons for electing to vote against it. For example, the manner by which the bill was passed, in which an unexpected procedural move in the Kansas House forced a deciding vote Thursday. When issues of importance such as this one are rushed, he explained, little good can come of it. “Any time you shortcut the process, especially when you’re determining major state policies, it’s just not right,” Vickrey said. “Fundamentally, that process is designed to catch those types of mistakes so you don’t put it into a permanent state policy.” Additionally, Vickrey felt this type of ordinance was better suited for a decision at the level of local government — as opposed to a unilateral state policy. “The best government is local government,” he said. “The closer that a decision is made to home, the better it will be. That’s always the case.” But what does the bill’s passage mean for local residents and businesses? Timbercreek Bar & Grill, 12 E. Amity St., implemented a smoke-free policy just after the first of the year. The decision wasn’t made with an eye towards Topeka and the likelihood of future legislation, said manager Ed Hett, but rather at the request of the restaurant’s customers. “The main reason we did it was because the community was requesting it,” he said. “We’ve had quite a few people who voiced their opinion, and wanted it.” In an effort to appease clientele who still wished to smoke, Timbercreek constructed an additional space outdoors, complete with heaters for the winter months, tables and seating. Another popular local eatery, Miss B’s Cafe, has never allowed smoking; a decision made long before the restaurant opened its doors. They get the occasional complaint, said manager Paula Bollinger, but they’re typically few and far between. “I think they like (the policy) more than they dislike it,” she said of their customers. Another local entity unlikely to be affected is American Legion Post 250 — though for somewhat different reasons. The Legion post is a private club with a paying membership. It not only houses a full-service bar for its members, but also allows smoking. In the bill’s current form, a small number of organizations will be exempt from the statewide ban, including casinos and private clubs like the Legion post. They figured legislation of this type was on the way, said Post Commander Wayne Knop, though they didn’t anticipate it would be quite this soon. As a pre-emptive measure, much like Timbercreek, the Legion had a shelter built to accommodate their smoking membership, in the event of a ban affecting all establishments, public and private alike. If the bill doesn’t target them, however, Knop said they see no reason to change their current policies. “If it doesn’t affect us, we’ll probably stay the same,” he said.
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