State Status
No Preemption
News Summary
Smoking bans to go before council
Publication Date: 2007-09-14
- Publication:Iowa City (IA) Press-Citizen
The Iowa City Council will consider supporting a legislative proposal giving municipalities the power to enforce smoking bans.
The resolution is to be voted on at a formal City Council meeting Tuesday. The same proposal has been submitted to other governing bodies by Clean Air for Everyone, a local nonprofit group.
The proposal would give cities the power to prohibit smoking in public places, including restaurants, child care centers and hospitals. Current state law allows businesses to have smoking areas as long as non-smoking sections also are designated.
Four years ago, Iowa City passed a smoking ban in restaurants but repealed the law following an Iowa Supreme Court ruling involving the city of Ames. The court ruled that the city, which had a similar ban, could not enforce an ordinance stricter than state law.