Smoking ban may go to N.C. House vote

Publication Date: 2005-05-13

• Author:SHARIF DURHAMS
• Publication:Charlotte (NC) Observer

N.C. House may decide in a week; Mecklenburg proposal appears dead

A proposed statewide smoking ban might get a vote in the state House as soon as next week, while a plan to get a Mecklenburg-specific ban may be dead.

The difference for Mecklenburg residents lies in the chance of either plan becoming law, since both proposals would apply to the county. Supporters argue that the local legislation would be more likely to pass the House and Senate than the statewide bill, since fewer opponents would have a stake in the outcome.

The statewide legislation, which would ban smoking in most restaurants, could receive a vote in a House committee some time next week and be up for a vote on the House floor, said Rep. Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, the bill's sponsor. Lawmakers discussed the statewide ban in a House committee Thursday, where public health officials applauded it as a way to clear the air for children with asthma and other diseases triggered by secondhand smoke.