RIP, statewide smoking ban

It's a goner.

Although Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, may be holding out hope for her statewide smoking ban proposal until the Senate and House adjourn sine die, the Smoke-Free Texas coalition is admitting defeat.

The organization, which includes the American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Texas PTA, this afternoon issued a press release saying that the smoking ban they'd been pushing has died in the Senate.

"Even as time expires this session for HB 9, Smoke-Free Texas already is planning to bring forward in 2009 another bill that would provide strong secondhand smoke protections for Texas workers by banning smoking in indoor public and work places," Kirsten Voinis, the group's spokeswoman, said in the statement.

Given that HB9 had been gutted in the House, it's not clear that a worthwhile bill would have made it out of the conference committee, or that it would have been passed if it had. Better luck next time, I suppose.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 25, 2007 to That's our Lege