Madison bar hoppers could be puffing cigarettes with their beers once again. A bill that could allow smoking in bars across the state may face a Senate vote as soon as October.
The act, passed by the Assembly in June, would ban smoking in all dining areas but would allow each tavern or restaurant owner to decide whether or not to allow smoking in bar areas.
The Smoke-Free Dining Act has \a deceiving name,"" according to Liz Sanger, spokesperson for Smoke-Free Wisconsin. She said the act would take authority from the 21 local smoke-free ordinances and weaken anti-smoking provisions state-wide.
Mike Prentiss, spokesperson for state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said it would be easier to have a uniform statewide standard instead of having to ""go one by one in every city, village, town and county in Wisconsin and change thousands and thousands of local laws.""
Although the previous ordinances in 21 communities would be voided if this bill passes, Prentiss said many communities would benefit from this act.
""In 1,900 Wisconsin communities there would be less smoke in public places under current law. That is a fact,"" Prentiss said.
Some city representatives argue this act takes power away from the local government and places it all in the state hands. Ald. Austin King, District 8, said this bill would allow people outside of Madison to make decisions that would directly affect the health and economy of Madison.
King attacked the Republican Party for being ""a big government, Big Brother party,"" that overturns the decisions the local government makes.
""It is frustrating to know that our work and the people's voices can be silenced by a bunch of bought-off, right-wing conservatives from rural Wisconsin,"" he said.
Prentiss pointed out there are already many statewide standards in government that affect different aspects of life. He cited statewide regulations such as the legal drinking age and the hours liquor stores are allowed to sell alcohol.
He added that these regulations are not considered infringements on local government and that this act was no different. He said this act would simply set a uniform standard for the whole state of Wisconsin.
""It's not so much about whether smoking is good or bad. I don't think anyone today in 2005 America can say with a straight face that they don't know that smoking is bad for you,"" Prentiss said. ""But it's a question of first and foremost the rights of business owners and also the effect that these bans have on our economy and people's jobs.\
