Senate panel approves General Assembly smoking ban

Publication Date: 2006-06-14

• Author:Mike Baker
• Publication:Charlotte Observer

Continuing North Carolina's crackdown on smoking, a Senate health committee unanimously approved a bill Wednesday to ban cigarette use in General Assembly buildings.

"It will force us all to accept responsibility, to make sure we smoke in a way that doesn't affect other people's lives," said Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland...

The Senate banned smoking within the chamber last year, following the House, which outlawed the practice in 2003.

Glazier questioned why lawmakers protect themselves, but not the thousands of students who come to the General Assembly to visit and work.