Democrats delay smoking-ban bill to firm up votes

Publication Date: 2009-05-01

• Author:James Romoser
• Publication:Winston-Salem Journal

Democrats in the N.C. Senate postponed a vote yesterday on a statewide smoking ban because they were unsure if it would pass.

"It was just getting too close a call for us to take a chance on losing the bill," said state Sen. William Purcell, D-Scotland and a major supporter of the bill.

The bill would outlaw smoking in restaurants, bars and virtually all indoor workplaces in North Carolina.

After clearing the Senate health committee Wednesday, the bill was placed on the Senate calendar to be debated yesterday on the Senate floor.

During a recess in the Senate session yesterday, Senate Democrats met for about a half hour in a closed-door caucus meeting and discussed the smoking bill. After coming out of the meeting, the Senate majority leader, Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, moved the bill off the day's calendar and rescheduled it for the middle of next week.