A state Senate committee convened a public hearing Wednesday to hear testimony on a senator’s proposal to formally allow people to use e-cigarettes indoors.
The proposal would exempt e-cigarettes, which are an alternative to conventional cigarettes and contain nicotine-laced vapor, from a current statewide indoor smoking ban.
State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said he is “worried” legislation recently instituted in New York banning the devices “could seep inland,” according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A coalition of health associations, including the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, voiced their opposition to the bill at the public hearing. The coalition also called attention to possible societal benefits from the indoor smoking ban.
“Studies have found workers are healthier, patrons are happier and the law banning indoor smoking enjoys widespread public support,” the coalition said in a statement.
The Senate Committee of Judiciary and Labor will vote on the bill in an executive session Thursday.
