League of Wisconsin Municipalities: Municipalities support smoking ban compromise

Publication Date: 2008-03-06

• Publication:WisPolitics

The League of Wisconsin Municipalities supports the enactment of a uniform statewide ban on smoking in places of employment, including restaurants and bars, even if the effective date is delayed until July 1, 2011.

Last spring, the League's Board of Directors voted to support SB 150 because it met our goals of: (1) enacting a statewide uniform smoking ban that avoids having different levels of regulation within neighboring communities; and 2) no preemption of existing municipal ordinances.

Earlier this week, the League’s Board voted to support the following compromise offered by Sen. Decker:

- After seven months, ban smoking in all work places and restaurants that don’t sell alcohol.
- On July 1, 2011, ban smoking in taverns and restaurants with class B licenses.
- Preemption on new local ordinances banning smoking in Class B liquor and beer license facilities. Sunset the provision on July 1, 2011.
- Permit smoking areas such as patios, three season porches and within a reasonable distance of entrances and exits of a class B liquor or beer licensee. (This would prohibit municipalities from adopting ordinances in the future that ban smoking in beer gardens.)