Smoking ban fails in House

Publication Date: 2005-04-05

• Author:James Jefferson
• Publication:The Log Cabin Democrat of Conway, Arkansas

The House defeated legislation to ban smoking in Arkansas restaurants Monday and rejected potentially killer amendments to a bill to create a state Department of Agriculture...

The smoking-ban bill -- renamed the Dr. Fay Boozman Clean Air in Restaurants for a Healthier Arkansas Act in honor of the late state health director who championed its passage before his death last month -- would prohibit smoking in eating establishments at which food accounts for 70 percent or more of sales.

At restaurants that have bars, even separate ones, the 70-percent rule would apply to the entire establishment.