Lawmakers Eye A Statewide Smoking Ban

The recently expanded smoking ban in Dallas may give a proposed statewide ban some momentum, Texas lawmakers said.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, said they plan to file a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would ban smoking in indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Though opponents say a ban would violate personal liberties and hurt their livelihoods, 24 states have passed similar measures.

Crownover and Ellis filed the same proposal in 2007. A watered-down version passed the House, but the Senate proposal stalled in committee. Since then, Dallas and Corpus Christi have strengthened smoke-free laws, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation has made a statewide ban its top priority in Texas.

The proposed statewide law would not take precedence over stricter city ordinances. Austin, El Paso and Houston are among the Texas cities that have also passed comprehensive bans against smoking in the workplace.

The Dallas City Council recently voted to expand its smoking ban to bars and pool halls, effectively making it illegal to light up in most city workplaces. The ban, which will take effect beginning April 10, also prohibits smoking within 15 feet of most business entrances.

With some major Texas cities becoming smoke-free, the time is right for a statewide measure, Ellis said.

"All of those doomsday prophets have been proven wrong. There has not been a mass exodus of clubs and bars to the suburbs," he said in a story in the Austin American-Statesman.

The Amusement & Music Operators of Texas, which lobbied against the Dallas ban, said it will oppose a statewide ban. The group includes companies that provide and maintain jukeboxes, pool tables and bar games.

"It is having a serious impact on our clients' business," said Lee Woods, the lead lobbyist for the 200-member organization. "What we are seeing is a decline in our sales in locations where a smoking ban has been enacted."

But Greg Koury, founder of the Manuel's and Changos restaurants in Austin, said he banned smoking at his restaurants long before the city ordinance went into effect in 2005 and that it didn't hurt business.

"For those who want to smoke, they'll find a way to do it that's not going to inconvenience others who don't want to be around it," Koury said.