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News Summary

Statewide Smoking Ban Gains Traction In Senate

Publication Date: 2014-04-09
  • Author:Aaron Selbig, KBBI - Homer
  • Publication:Alaska Public Radio Network

A proposal that would ban smoking in most public places in Alaska is making headway in the state Senate. Senate Bill 209 passed out of the Senate State Affairs Committee last week.

The bill would ban smoking in office buildings, sports arenas, taxicabs, bars and restaurants, among other public places.

Many places in Alaska, including Anchorage, Juneau and Bethel, already have similar bans. As a result of those bans, nearly half of Alaska's population is already affected by a workplace smoking ban.

Soldotna Senator Peter Micciche is the bill's sponsor. He told the Senate State Affairs Committee Thursday that normally, he a "small government kind of guy." In this case, however, he feels it's appropriate for the government to get involved to protect the health of workers.

"Just as it's appropriate for government to set safety standards in automobiles, electrical codes for wiring (and) requirements for infant and child carrier seats," he said.

Micciche says the state takes on much of the economic costs associated with second-hand smoke, which he said kills more Alaskans each year than automobile accidents. He also made the point that second-class cities and unorganized boroughs in Alaska do not have the legal authority to enact their own smoking bans...

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