From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— The state Assembly has voted 57-37 to pass AB 211 to exempt tobacco bars from an early 2000s-era law banning smoking in most public places in Wisconsin.
The bill would exempt tobacco bars that existed on or after June 4, 2009, only allow cigar and pipe smoking, and aren’t a retail food establishment. Tobacco bars that existed on June 3, 2009, are already exempt from the smoking ban under current law.
Seven Dems joined Republicans in favor: Reps. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, of Milwaukee; Clinton Anderson, of Beloit; Karen Kirsch, of Greenfield; Vincent Miresse, of Stevens Point; Amaad Rivera-Wagner, of Green Bay; Christine Sinicki, of Milwaukee; and Shelia Stubbs, of Madison.
The chamber signed off on an amendment adding more requirements for tobacco bars on top of the requirement that they not be a retail food establishment, including prohibiting those under 21 from entering.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network slammed the move, arguing the bill creates a “significant loophole” in the Wisconsin Clean Indoor Air Act.
“Assembly Bill 211 fails to protect the health of workers and patrons, will confuse the public and be difficult to enforce and continues to tie the hands of local municipalities that may not want these types of establishments in their communities,” said Sara Sahli, the network’s Wisconsin government relations director.
But bill authors in an earlier cosponsorship memo said the legislation “in no way weakens the smoking ban” and argued it’s a pro-business change that allows for growth while preserving public health standards.
“It simply strikes a balance between protecting public health and respecting the autonomy of businesses and individual freedoms. Cigar lounges, by their nature, are designated spaces for smoking, and this bill ensures that they can continue to operate within a strictly regulated framework,” they wrote.
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