Va. Senate Defeats Smoke-Free Bill February 10, 2005
News Summary
A proposed public-smoking ban has gone down to defeat in the Virginia Senate, the Washington Post reported Feb. 9.The measure had cleared committee but was voted down in the full Senate by a 26-14 margin. Chief backer Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) argued that secondhand smoke kills an estimated 2,000 Virginians each year. But Sen. Charles Hawkins (R-Pittsylvania), whose district includes tobacco farmers, said bans should be left to individual restaurant and business owners to decide.
"That's where this decision needs to be made, in the marketplace, not on the floor of the legislature," Hawkins said.
Meanwhile, the Virginia House passed a bill that would suspend the driver's license of adults who provide alcohol to people under age 21.
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