Delaware LP joins forces to fight anti-smoking law

The Delaware LP has joined a coalition of groups working to overturn the state’s new anti-smoking law.

Libertarians met with other opponents of the ban at the Sheraton Hotel in Wilmington on December 15 to discuss ways to overturn or amend the law when the General Assembly returns in January.

The law banned indoor smoking in bars, restaurants, and commercial businesses as of November 27.

Since that date, bar and restaurant owners said they have lost 20% to 50% of their business. One restaurant even dubbed itself a "Smokeeasy" -- a private smoking club modeled on the illegal "speakeasy" bars of the Prohibition era.

Instead of passing another law, the legislature should have let the free market decide, said George Smith, a 2002 candidate for General Assembly (10th District).

"The fact that the legislature has the ability to do pretty much anything it wants doesn't make it right for them to walk in and stomp on the property rights of restaurant, casino, hotel, and bar owners," he said. "Let's not have the government take over yet another facet of our daily lives. Let the market sort this out."

Anti-Smoking Law In Delaware May Be Amended
by KYW's Bill Shusta

An effort to amend the Delaware law banning smoking in almost all indoor places is expected to begin in the General Assembly.

State Representative Pam Thornburg is expected to introduce the bill and explains the exemptions to be added:

"Our casinos, our bars and taprooms, in addition to the non-profit organizations that were not excluded, along with the fire halls that had bingo gaming."

These enterprises would serve only those 21 years or age and older. She says this effort pertains to freedom of choice and fiscal issues.

Governor Ruth Ann Minner is against any change to the law.

Since the bill would continue the smoking ban in restaurants, the state Restaurant Association also opposes it.

Since the bill would continue the smoking ban in restaurants, the state Restaurant Association also opposes it.

They are the ones that caused the bloody problem in the first place.

The so called retaurant association has 200 members that represent about 400 establishments in the state, most of which are fast food places.

There are about 1,800 restaurants in Delaware and more than 5,000 establishments holding liquor licenses.

When every establishment in the State of Delaware is required by law to serve the same food, at the same prices and with the same entertainment as every other establishment, then the Restaurant association can talk about a level playing field regarding the issue of letting the market decide about smoking tobacco products.

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/01/22smokingbillgoes.html

Smoking bill goes to panel
House may vote this year on exempting bars, casinos
By PATRICK JACKSON
Dover Bureau reporter
01/22/2003

A bill to restore the ability to smoke in bars, taprooms and casinos could come to a vote in the House this year, now that it has been assigned to a committee led by a staunch opponent of the indoor smoking ban adopted last year.

House Speaker Terry Spence, R-Stratford, assigned House Bill 15 to the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Committee, where Rep. George "Bobby" Quillen, R-Harrington, is chairman. Quillen is a co-sponsor of the bill with Rep. Pamela Thornburg, R-Dover West.

"The co-sponsors asked that the bill be put in Rep. Quillen's committee and I try to accommodate those requests if I can," Spence said Tuesday.

The proposed legislation would allow people to smoke:

• In up to 50 percent of a slot casino's floor area, as long as adequate ventilation and air exchange systems are in place.

• In taverns and taprooms, which by law admit only people 21 years of age and older.

• At charity gaming events, such as church bingo games. Those events would need to restrict attendance to those 21 and older.

Quillen planned to hold a hearing on the bill today, but put it off until Jan. 29 at the request of Rep. Deborah Hudson, R-Fairthorne, and Rep. Robert Valihura Jr., R-Edenridge. Hudson and Valihura were House sponsors last year of the Clean Indoor Air Act, which was signed into law and took effect Nov. 27. It bans smoking in almost all indoor public places.

"I think the environment committee's a fair place for this bill," Quillen said. "We deal with industrial smokestacks spewing various substances into the air, and now we'll be dealing with people whose cigarettes are spewing a legal substance into the air."

Valihura said the assignment of the bill to Quillen's committee increases its chances of being recommended for consideration by the full House. But he said he expects it would have come to a vote anyway.

Hudson said getting the bill to the floor may be the easy part.

"I think most of the people who voted for this law want to give it time to work," Hudson said. "We're hearing a lot of anecdotal evidence about bars and restaurants going under, but I think members are going to want hard facts before they vote to change the law."

Some bar and restaurant owners have said business is down considerably since the smoking ban took effect, although others said they have not noticed much of an impact. Owners of Delaware's three slots casinos have said their business also is down in the last two months.

State Finance Secretary David Singleton is scheduled to brief the House Revenue and Finance Committee on Jan. 29 on the effect the law is having on the state's revenues from slots casinos. Hudson is the chairwoman of that committee.

Thornburg said she is confident the bill will pass in the House.

"I hope we can get the bill out of the House in January, but I'm willing to wait if I have to," she said. "This bill is hurting a lot of business owners and we need to fix it."

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has said she is against changes in the law, but has not said whether she would veto legislation exempting some establishments from the ban.

"I think most of the people who voted for this law want to give it time to work," Hudson said

Give it up already.

The Anti smoking Nazis are liars when they say since 75% of the people don't smoke they will more than make up for lost smokers. The truth is most non-smokers who go to bars/restaurants could give a rat's ass about smoking going on there. There just isn't this "Untapped" pool of nonsmokers staying away.

But the anti-smoking Nazis will never tell the truth. I predict in the near future we will hear this over and over from the Nazis, Since they obviously can't claim a sucess they will falsely claim the reason for the law's failure is People don't know Delaware is smoke free and as more people learn of it buisness will pick up again so we need more time for the law.

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