The state Senate, on a voice vote, gave preliminary approval Wednesday to legislation banning smoking in public places throughout the commonwealth.
“We are trying to move Virginia forward to protect the health of our citizens,” said the measure’s sponsor, Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke.
A final vote could come as soon as today. That would send the bill to the House, which has shown little of the Senate’s enthusiasm for smoking prohibitions. If the bill becomes law, Virginia would join 19 other states that ban smoking in at least some public areas.
The Senate extinguished two attempts to water down the bill. One would have made the prohibition a local option requiring approval of a county, city or town’s governing body. The other would have allowed smoking anywhere that posted a “Smoking Permitted” sign in clear view by its entrance.
Sen. Martin Williams, D-Newport News, who proposed the change, said posting the signs would give customers an informed choice as to whether to expose themselves to smoke.
Bell, however, scoffed at the idea.
“We want to protect our constituents from meth labs, but we do not put up signs saying ‘meth labs permitted,’ ” he said.
The House of Delegates is scheduled to consider legislation in the next few days that would repeal the state law requiring all restaurants to have a no-smoking section, but restaurants allowing smoking would have to post a sign notifying patrons. House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said he proposed the legislation as an alternative to the smoking-ban bills, which the House killed last year.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
