Smoking Ban Proposed
Smokers in Texas are running out of places to light up. Smoke-Free Texas, a locally based health care coalition, says that thirty-six percent of Texans live where they can’t smoke in public places. Now the group is pushing legislation to make the ban apply to all Texans. Activist Lance Armstrong spoke in favor of the bill.
A similar bill was proposed last session. It passed the House, but it didn’t come up for a vote in the Senate. This session, Armstrong and others have rallied support from both republicans and democrats. But this momentum could be met with stiff opposition, even from non-smokers.
The opposition might be dissapointed by the outcome, however. A recent study found that more than two-thirds of Texans are in favor of a smoking ban. And the Texas House seems to agree with the majority -the first ten House bills of the session are traditionally very important to lawmakers. The proposed ban is number five.
