Doyle says smoking ban without taverns doesn't make sense
(Published Wednesday, May 2, 2007 10:28:27 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Scott Bauer Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - While Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday that exempting taverns from a statewide smoking ban wouldn't make sense, he was open to the possibility of phasing in a prohibition on lighting up in bars.
The lobbying arm for the state's 13,000 taverns welcomed that idea, but the Democratic state senator sponsoring the bill and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association said a phase-in would be unacceptable.
"We only support a clean bill that creates a level playing field for all businesses in the food and beverage industry," said Pete Hanson, director of government relations for the restaurant association that represents 16,000 eateries across the state.
A smoking ban must be uniform across the state and not allow anyone, including taverns, to be phased in, said Sarah Briganti, a spokeswoman for Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, the bill's sponsor.
Doyle has been less clear about what he would consider acceptable.
In January, he proposed a statewide ban on smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and taverns.
The next month, he indicated he would consider an exception for bars, saying "I live in the real world. If I get 95 percent of what I want, I won't turn away from it."
But Tuesday, Doyle said exempting taverns "wouldn't make sense to me," although he left the door open to a "very limited phase-in for taverns."
When pressed for details about what he would consider acceptable, Doyle said, "I'm not going to negotiate with myself here."
Scott Stenger, the Tavern League's lobbyist, said this was the first he'd heard of a phase-in. The league's main concern is that the bill not hurt bar owners, he said.
"I guess I'd want to explore every option," he said. "If a phase-in addresses the concerns we have, I don't want to say we have to have an exemption for taverns."
Exempting taverns for any period of time would put restaurants where smoking is banned at a disadvantage, Hanson said.
The smoking ban must clear both the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-led Assembly and be signed by the governor before it becomes law.
Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, has not taken a position on the bill, an exemption for taverns, or a possible phase-in, his spokesman Bob Delaporte said.
Huebsch does support a statewide policy in order to eliminate the current patchwork of local ordinances, Delaporte said. Madison and Appleton already ban smoking in all public places, while a number of other cities have more limited bans.
Bans on smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars are common in other states, but only nine currently prohibit it in all three. They are Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.
A survey done in mid-February found that nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin residents support a statewide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and work places.
Along with the ban on smoking in public, Doyle has proposed a $1.25 per pack increase in the cigarette tax, with the money directed toward anti-smoking initiatives. Doyle declined to say Tuesday whether he would veto a bill that included a smaller tax hike.
Doyle also has proposed refinancing the state's tobacco settlement bonds to raise money for anti-tobacco efforts. He said he would veto any plan to use the money for other things.
Doyle doesn't need legislative approval to do the refinancing. But he does need lawmakers' OK to spend the money as he proposed.
