As the last days of the state legislative session come to a close, the state Senate passed a bill that would ban smoking within a 25-foot radius of University of Wisconsin System dormitories and adopted a resolution allowing a legitimate program facilitating the importation of cheaper prescription drugs.
State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said the bill regarding smoking in the dorms, AB 207, was passed on a voice vote. The state Assembly passed the bill in February, and it will now go to Gov. Jim Doyle's desk, where he can either approve or veto it.
\This is just a plain good bill,"" Risser said. ""It was introduced by a number of people, Democrats and Republicans. It had bipartisan support.""
UW-Madison dormitories and residence halls already ban smoking within the establishments and require smokers to light up 25 feet away from the buildings.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he only knows of two UW System campuses that do not ban smoking inside dormitories and residence halls. He added he does not think this will greatly affect UW-Madison students.
However, should Doyle approve the bill, students caught violating these rules will also be subject to penalty under state law, resulting in a $10 fine.
State Rep. Mark Miller, D-Monona, who introduced the bill with 18 other representatives, said earlier this legislative session that most senators and representatives strongly support keeping smoking out of public living areas.
Although the fine is not severe, Risser said the main point of the bill is not to collect money from student smokers.
""The idea is not to penalize people but to get their attitude changed,"" he said.
Just before midnight, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 31, relating to prescription drugs, by a vote of 17 to 14.
Republican authors of the resolution strongly urge Congress to ""address the significant price disparity in the international trade of brand-name prescription drugs by creating a safe and legitimate program for prescription drug importation or through negotiated trade agreements with other industrialized nations.""
Doyle added links to Canadian pharmacies on the state's prescription drug Web site in February, adding to his campaign for prescription drugs.
Although the resolution was near the beginning of the agenda, Risser said state Sen. Mary Panzer, R-West Bend, moved it to the end of the calendar because it was so controversial.
The resolution now goes to the state Assembly for concurrence.
