Below is a listing of the latest news on legislative issues and anti-smoking movements affecting your personal freedom and rights to enjoy cigars. Get Involved, Learn about the Issues, and Take Action!
Another Portage tavern asks city for smoking area
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| August 12th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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Another Portage tavern is planning to create a smoking area outside of its building.
Kevin Malone, the proprietor of the downtown establishment Blarney Stone, approached city officials Wednesday with the desire to add the area behind his tavern's building to the premise description on his alcohol license - making it legal for patrons to drink in the area behind the tavern.
At least three other taverns have added or discussed adding smoking areas.
Malone said that he wants to add an outdoor patio and convert an old shed behind his building for use by patrons.
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Smoking ban starts …. Well, not completely
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| June 13th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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In the final weeks before the statewide smoking ban goes into effect, bar and restaurant owners, building inspectors and the police are finding themselves peering through a haze of unanswered questions regarding the new state law.
The landscape of Oshkosh bars and restaurants is changing as owners prepare to find ways to accommodate their smoking customers. About half already can or soon will be able to offer outdoor smoking areas. As they build these areas, businesses are forging ahead with projects that are based on the best information they have.
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NFdL pursues smoking ban
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| May 25th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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The North Fond du Lac Village Board plans to make a second attempt at passing a local ordinance that regulates smoking in places of employment and in public places.
Last week, the Village Board considered an ordinance that was consistent with the statewide smoking ban set to go in effect July 5. Language relating to outdoor smoking areas, though, was proposed to have "more teeth" than the state rules, said Village Administrator Chuck Hornung.
The matter generated discussion by the board.
"A couple members were not sure they agreed with rules about how businesses should run their (operations)," Hornung said.
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Editorial: Loophole in smoking ban insignificant
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| May 18th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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There comes a time when government and public health advocates must trust that members of the public are smart enough to act in their own best interests. It is not possible, nor desirable, to legislate against every contingency that might pose a health risk.
The circumstances surrounding the implementation of the statewide smoking ban is a prime example. The ban on smoking in public places goes into law July 5. One of the major justifications for the smoking ban was to protect the health of employees, primarily in the hospitality industry, from being exposed to second hand smoke at work. The ban was particularly troubling to the tavern industry that understandably worries about the impact a smoking ban would have on business.
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Milwaukee area bar owners prepare to comply with Wisconsin's new smoking ban
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| May 18th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE - Whether you love the law or hate it, it's just weeks away from going into effect. Wisconsin's smoking ban starts July 5th, and it's a law that's been years in the making. As the deadline draws near, FOX6 discovered there are still a lot of questions unanswered.
July 5th can't come soon enough for Bar Owner Dennis Cox, because his bar is in Shorewood. Shorewood is one of 38 Wisconsin cities that have their own smoking bans already in place.
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Editorial: Smoking ban tweak unlevels playing field
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| May 17th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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By tweaking the not-yet-in-place workplace-smoking ban, Wisconsin lawmakers and Gov. Jim Doyle have unleveled what should have been a level playing field.
As the legislative session wound down, the Legislature passed a revision in the law that is still nearly two months away from taking effect. It was needed because the initial law had the unforeseen effect of allowing smoking in a room with windows, even if those windows did not actually open to let in fresh air.
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Smoking ban starts July 5 but you can puff outdoors
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| May 12th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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Wisconsin’s smoking ban takes effect July 5 with last-minute changes that permit smoking in open air areas of bars and restaurants.
Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law aimed at clarifying the state’s smoking ban by changing the definition of unenclosed areas where smoking will be permitted.
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Gov. Jim Doyle says smoking ban is good despite loophole for open-air rooms
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| May 12th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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MADISON — Gov. Jim Doyle says the statewide smoking ban set to take effect July 5 is good and strong despite allowing for largely open-air smoking rooms.
Doyle on Wednesday said he didn’t think bars and restaurants could get around the law, which bans smoking for all workplaces across the state. However, the law does allow for smoking in rooms that have open windows covering at least 25 percent of the walls.
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Lawmakers turn back plan to fight candy-flavored tobacco with stimulus dollars
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| January 14th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Wisconsin |
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Lawmakers on Thursday morning rejected a plan to use $3 million in federal stimulus funding to restrict the sale of candy-flavored tobacco products that critics say are aimed at youths.
The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted to send the request back to the state Department of Health Services.
The department had proposed to use the money to fund a statewide campaign to persuade local communities around Wisconsin to ban sales of products like cherry-flavored chaw.
A state official said the backdoor approach could eventually lead to a statewide prohibition just as local bans on smoking in bars and restaurants led to the statewide ban taking effect in July. But one Republican lawmaker said the idea makes a mockery of the federal stimulus bill's primary goal of creating jobs.
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Smoke free legislation erodes freedom, affects business
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| May 27th, 2009, 07:37 AM | Wisconsin |
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MAY 27 - Starting July 5, 2010, almost all indoor public places in Wisconsin will be smoke-free. That includes restaurants, bars, taverns and any other indoor location in which people could smoke.
On May 18, Gov. Jim Doyle signed into the law the comprehensive ban after years of talking about it. The only indoor public places people will be able to smoke in are existing cigar bars and specialty tobacco shops. Any cigar bar or tobacco shop that opens after the law goes into effect must be smoke-free.
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Doyle Signs Smoking Ban Into Law
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| May 18th, 2009, 10:12 AM | Wisconsin |
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MAY 18 - "Today, at long last, I will sign legislation enacting a statewide smoking ban," Doyle said.
He signed the measure three times -- in ceremonies in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay. He first signed the bill in Milwaukee.
The new ban will be similar to the citywide measure already in place in Madison with no smoking allowed in almost all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
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Legislators Expect Smoking Ban to Pass Wednesday
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| May 13th, 2009, 06:33 AM | Wisconsin |
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MAY 13 - A statewide smoking ban will be put to a vote later this week.
State lawmakers say the bill is likely to pass Wednesday, making all restaurants, bars, and any place other place of employment smoke-free starting July 5, 2010.
It exempts cigar bars, tobacco shops, and outdoor smoking areas for bars.
Representative Penny Bernard Schaber of Appleton says the bill is long overdue.
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Statewide smoking ban terms brokered by lawmakers
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| May 7th, 2009, 10:53 AM | Wisconsin |
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MADISON, MAY 7 — Smoking would be prohibited in restaurants, taverns and virtually all workplaces in Wisconsin starting in July 2010, under a compromise announced Wednesday by state lawmakers.
After years of debate, legislative leaders said they reached a deal on a statewide smoking ban that could pass both houses next week and be signed into law by Gov. Jim Doyle.
The announcement came after lawmakers brokered a compromise between advocates for a strict ban and the Tavern League, a powerful lobbying group that has opposed a statewide ban in the past.
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Don't ban all smokes
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| April 1st, 2009, 02:32 PM | Wisconsin |
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APR 1 - There's more to smoking than cigarettes
They are paired in literature, film and the visual arts, and in our collective cultural consciousness in much the same way that we've become accustomed to think of wine and cheese as an ideal pairing.
I enjoy both coffee and tobacco, and have participated in paired tastings of the two. But my enjoyment demands a rather specific qualifier — that they be handcrafted or artisan produced.
Specialty coffee is artisan coffee. It is generally grown, processed and produced with more personal, hands-on attention and involvement from small groups of people who are as concerned with high quality and uniqueness as they are with making a living at it.
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Two Rivers City Council fails to support statewide smoking ban
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| March 16th, 2009, 07:47 PM | Wisconsin |
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TWO RIVERS, MAR 16 — City Council members voted 4 to 2 this evening to support a resolution asking the state Legislature to adopt a law making all workplaces and indoor public places in Wisconsin smoke-free.
However, state statutes require all resolutions in a city manager form of government to be passed by a majority of the entire council, not just those present, according to city attorney Jack Bruce. With nine people on the council, that means five members would have to vote in favor of the resolution in order for it to pass.
Council members Mark Matthews, Jay Orvis, Brian Powell and Jim Taddy voted in favor of the resolution asking for the statewide smoking ban, while Kay Koach and Bobbi Schuetze voted against it. Three council members, Joe Bauknecht, Frank Bauknecht and Vince Alber, were absent.
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Smoking ban would hurt taverns, economy
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| March 11th, 2009, 07:16 PM | Wisconsin |
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MAR 11 - Wisconsin is experiencing the worst economic conditions in 70 years and taverns are bearing a large brunt of the crisis. A snapshot of the economy shows that Wisconsin is in a recession with unemployment numbers growing, sales tax collections declining and personal income stalling.
The recession has hit small businesses especially hard and Tavern League members are asking for some consideration of their livelihoods and their employees' livelihoods when you are looking at a statewide smoking ban.
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Smoking ban back on agenda
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| March 6th, 2009, 11:13 PM | Wisconsin |
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MAR 6 - More than a month after getting public input about a proposed smoking ban in the City of Verona , the Common Council's Public Safety and Welfare committee will finally debate its merits.
The committee took more than an hour of public comments Jan. 26, with a significant portion asking for various exceptions, as the committee had hoped. In the meantime, the city arranged a meeting among the most vocal people on each side and worked out some preliminary compromises.
The resulting second draft of the ordinance offers the committee some options for two requested exceptions - outdoor patios and hotel smoking rooms - as well as a completely open-ended implementation date. On Monday, the Public Safety committee will piece together its preferred version and send it to the Common Council for review later in the month.
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Supporters launch campaign for statewide smoking ban
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| February 27th, 2009, 03:48 PM | Wisconsin |
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FEB 27 - Advocates of a proposal in Gov. Jim Doyle's budget that would ban smoking in restaurants and bars statewide have allied in its support.
The Holding Our Breath for Smoke-Free Air campaign, which was launched Wednesday, is comprised of 27 statewide organizations that support the ban.
Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin, said the health benefits of the ban are enormous. She said multiple studies have shown that heart-attack rates have fallen 20 percent in communities that have banned smoking in restaurants and bars.
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Smoke-free workplace campaign launched
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| February 27th, 2009, 03:47 PM | Wisconsin |
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FEB 27 - Supporters of a state smoke-free workplace law launched a new campaign Thursday in La Crosse.
“Holding Our Breath for a Smokefree Air” will feature town hall meetings and a new grassroots Web site.
Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin, said people can view and post video messages directly to their lawmakers and sign an online petition on the Web site.
Busalacchi said she is optimistic the statewide smokefree proposal in Gov. Jim Doyle's budget will become law and should start late this year or early 2010. She said the majority of state residents support the measure.
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Budget 'shares sacrifice' by taxing wealthy, holding school spending steady
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| February 17th, 2009, 04:07 PM | Wisconsin |
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FEB 17 - Vowing that "everyone is going to have to share in the sacrifice," Gov. Jim Doyle proposed increasing taxes on smokers and the wealthy, holding school and university spending by the state to modest increases and cutting dozens of state offices to close a more than $5.7 billion budget hole.
Doyle on Tuesday laid out a two-year $62.7 billion spending plan that he said keeps education, health care and middle-class families from being swamped by the recession.
To do it, the Democratic governor proposed using $2.1 billion in federal aid signed into law by President Barack Obama Tuesday, releasing some felons from prison early and raising the state's cigarette tax by 75 cents a pack.
In the biggest bombshell of a grim 34-minute speech, Doyle proposed creating a new tax bracket for the wealthiest 1 percent of Wisconsinites and raising their taxes by $312 million over the next two years.
"Everyone is going to have to have some faith that, if we all work together, we get through this in a way that will make us stronger in the years ahead," Doyle said in his last budget address before he may seek re-election in 2010.
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Fond Du Lac Smoking Ban Takes Effect Monday
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| February 2nd, 2009, 02:05 PM | Wisconsin |
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FOND DU LAC, Wis., FEB 2 -- A smoking ban has gone into effect in Fond du Lac.
The ban was originally scheduled to take effect on Feb. 1, but the city council delayed it until Monday so smokers could light up in bars on Super Bowl Sunday.
Kathryn Kuitert, of Fond du Lac, said she appreciated that. She smoked a lot while watching the game with friends.
Gene Creem, of Fond du Lac, also was out for the Super Bowl but said he now may stay home more because he can smoke inside there.
The ordinance bans smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor public places.
JR's Sports Bar manager Travis Markiewicz said he doesn't expect the ban to have much effect on his bar -- it's been smoke free since it opened in May.
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City smoking ban has hit taverns financially
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| January 9th, 2009, 06:28 PM | Wisconsin |
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JAN 9 - A Sept. 25 editorial by the Leader-Telegram was titled "Exemptions to smoking ban unfair, unwise." The taverns of Eau Claire are asking for an exemption to the smoking ban, and their request is neither unfair nor unwise.
Since the smoking ban went into effect on July 1, Eau Claire city taverns have seen a drop in revenue ranging anywhere from 15 percent to almost 70 percent. Obviously, this has had a devastating financial impact on our local businesses. In the first three months after the ban went into effect, 15 taverns alone have seen a revenue loss of $367,000, a weekly loss of 3,400 customers, and a reduction of 266 employee hours worked each week. This has also reduced taxes paid by the taverns, in a time when both the city and state governments are running huge deficits.
The proponents of this smoking ban claimed that after a smoking ban went into effect, nonsmokers would then be patronizing these establishments, which would more than make up for any lost revenue created by the smoking ban.
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