State Status
Any Preemption
Pending Legislation
News Summary
Action to ban smoking fizzles
Publication Date: 2008-06-28
- Author:Chris Christoff
- Publication:Detroit (MI) Free Press
It won't be a smoke-free summer in Michigan.
Lawmakers broke for summer recess Friday without final action on bills that would ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.
Election-year politics and dissent among House Democrats stalled action on the ban, which proponents say would protect workers from secondhand smoke. The Senate has approved a total statewide smoking ban, while the House approved a ban that exempts Detroit's casinos, horse racetracks and cigar bars.
Neither chamber was willing to take final action Friday, as lawmakers wrapped
up much of the 2008-09 budget.