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Committee Slated to Take Up Divisive Anti-Smoking Legislation
According to a report by Brian McGillivary in the Traverse City Record Eagle, Allen also stipulated his willingness to open hearings on the bill with remarks stating that he does not necessarily believe that Basham's anti-smoking legislation will earn a committee vote of approval.
Basham, a
Democrat from Taylor, has been waging a media blitz in order to prod Allen into
granting a hearing and a vote on Senate Bill 186, which has languished in
the Allen-chaired Commerce and Labor Committee.
The bill
would prohibit smoking in all state restaurants and most bars that serve food.
Basham views his legislation as being strictly about public health rather than a
further erosion of individual liberty and the freedom of choice. " It's an
epidemic when 2,500 people a year die from second-hand smoke in Michigan," he
stated.
Ironically, anti-smoking legislation is a convenient albeit difficult target for
legislators to focus upon, especially considering their unwillingness to tackle
true public health threats such as dioxin contamination and emission, would
could readily be curtailed and eliminated through fines & legislation that
assumed control over the expanding crisis. Moreover, with the State legislature
justifying recent tax increases on tobacco to finance Medicaid and government
operations that have lost revenue through tax shifts and cuts, such a move would
easily sink the government deeper into red ink while decimating the food &
beverage industry, much as it has done in New York and California. Basham charges that powerful tobacco and restaurant industry lobbyists have kept his bill from getting a hearing. Last spring Basham told the Detroit Free Press that Allen refused to give his bill a hearing. Basham asserts that Allen then promised him a hearing in the fall, but never scheduled one. Allen responded by saying his committee addressed a number of important bill packages and t Allen said by early next week he will schedule the bill for a spring hearing. He would not promise a vote.
"Well,
maybe that's progress. I guess we'll have to wait and see," Basham said, adding
that he may pursue a referendum to place the issue before voters if lawmakers
won't address his bill.
Allen
questioned its need, considering the growing number of establishments going
smoke free in Michigan.
"I'm very
concerned about the bill," Allen said. "There are restaurateurs in our community
that have expressed concern."
The
Michigan Licensed Beverage Association and Michigan Restaurant
Association oppose the bill, and are against extending it a hearing.
Private
clubs like VFW halls or the Elks are exempted, they say, as are bowling alleys,
making it more difficult for small restaurants to compete.
Martin Van
Valkenburg,
spokesman for the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, said when
people go to bars they expect smoke. He also said proper ventilation and
non-smoking areas are adequate to protect the public health. Perhaps writer Fran Lebowitz summed up the core issue best when she wrote, "I understand that many people find smoking objectionable. That is their right. I would be the very last to criticize the annoyed. I myself find many things objectionable. Being offended is that natural consequence of leaving one's home. I do not like after-shave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. I do not, however, go around attempting to enact legislation and put up signs. When it is necessary to go out of the house they must be prepared, as am I, to deal with the unpleasant personal habits of others. That is what 'public' means. If you can't stand the heat, get back in the kitchen. |
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