Oklahoma City Council sets legislative priorities

Publication Date: 2010-11-10

• Author:Bryan Dean
• Publication:NewsOK.com

Among the items on the Oklahoma City Council's list this year is giving cities more control over regulating smoking.

More money for transit and the relocation of Interstate 40, curbing sales tax exemptions and giving cities the right to pass smoking ordinances are among Oklahoma City's legislative priorities.

The city council unanimously approved a list of state and federal legislative priorities Tuesday...

A new issue is the concern regarding the ability of city leaders to regulate smoking. The Oklahoma Municipal League is pushing for the elimination of an exemption which prevents cities from passing their own ordinances which could regulate smoking beyond what the state prescribes.

Ward 4 Councilman Pete White said the change would allow cities to regulate things such as the age people are allowed to buy tobacco and how close it can be sold to schools.

"Tobacco use continues to be the No. 1 public health problem in the country,” White said. "There will be a lot of people who don't like it, a lot of people who make a lot of money pushing tobacco.”