Arkansas Senate approves smoking ban

Publication Date: 2006-04-05

• Author:Associated Press
• Publication:KY3 Springfield, MO

The state Senate has approved a bill to ban smoking in most indoor workplaces statewide. The bill was approved Tuesday on a 30-4 vote. It would ban smoking in all indoor public spaces, except bars that prohibit anyone younger than 21 from entering.

Senator Tracy Steele, who co-sponsored the bill, said Arkansas is on its way to having a state that's smoke-free. He said his measure will give workers an opportunity to go to work and breathe clean air.

Along with some bars, the bill exempts tobacco shops, hotels, nursing homes and home-based businesses with fewer than three employees.