Subscribe to Cigar Rights of America RSS feeds and get the most up-to-date cigar-related legislative news for Oklahoma. http://www.cigarrights.org/xml/news/news_OK.xml http://www.cigarrights.org/favicon.ico http://www.cigarrights.org/images/CRA08small.jpg en-us JAN 20 - The Oklahoma Restaurant Association opposes the move to abolish the rooms. Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, has filed Senate Bill 1036, which would abolish separately ventilated smoking rooms by Sept. 1, 2010. It would ban new or existing restaurants from adding designated smoking rooms after Sept. 1, 2009. During the last legislative session, Myers' Senate Bill 1875 — which would have wiped out smoking in all restaurants, taverns, bars and hotels — had too few votes to pass. Myers said the time frame of his current legislation would allow restaurant owners who built the rooms in response to a 2003 law to depreciate the costs. He said he is willing to negotiate on the date. Last year, the Oklahoma Restaurant Association was neutral on Senate Bill 1875. Since then, the association surveyed 175 of its members who had the rooms, said Benny Vanatta, a lobbyist for the association. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090120_16_A11_OKLAHO36118 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 2:34 -0800 Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY, FEB 15 -- Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing for smoke-free laws in businesses, but smokers and some businesses are pushing back. A smoke room at Cattlemen's restaurant is used to protect non-smoking customers. State law requires them. Now, lawmakers are trying to do away with the rooms in restaurants statewide. Long-time smoker Ricky Hodges is not happy. "It's never enough for the people who want to take your rights away. Thomas Jefferson said most bad government comes from too much government," Hodges said. Hodges has smoked for the past 36 years. He said he was okay with being relegated to the smoking rooms, but trying to eliminate them is going too far. "Until smokers stand up and say ‘we're tired of it and we're not going to take it anymore,' they're going to run us clean into the ground, treat us like second class citizens like they already do, and we're tired of it," Hodges said. http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=9849713 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:38 -0800 Oklahoma Anti-smoking proponents say they will push once again for legislation to close loopholes in state law that permit smoking in some bars and restaurants. The intent is to protect workers from the health effects of secondhand smoke, representatives of the American Heart Association and the state Health Department said. On Thursday proponents said they would seek legislation similar to a bill that died in the Oklahoma House this year. The bill would remove exemptions to anti-smoking legislation approved in 2003. The exemptions allow smoking in stand-alone bars and in separately-ventilated smoking rooms in restaurants. http://newsok.com/oklahoma-activists-target-smoking-loopholes/article/3413091 30 Oct 2009 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma It seemed most ranchers, oil barons and other folks smoked when some of Oklahoma City’s historic restaurants opened decades ago. But now, a new law could snuff out smokes in more eating establishments. And the whole idea is lighting up some restaurant owners even though they don’t happen to smoke. http://newsok.com/article/3461851 17 May 2010 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma In “Legislators may give cities the power to ban smoking” (news story, Nov. 26), Kody Franklin (after taking a drag from his cigarette at the Sipango Lounge) proclaimed that he has “God-given American rights” to smoke and would oppose a citywide smoking ban. I'd like to remind Franklin that although the Declaration of Independence affords him the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (the latter of which Franklin apparently equates to using tobacco products), that his rights don't extend to interfering with the rights of others. http://www.newsok.com/public-smoking-ban-in-oklahoma-is-way-overdue/article/3520381?custom_click=headlines_widget 4 Dec 2010 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma Local health officials and politicians met Tuesday night to advocate for legislation that would allow municipalities to ban smoking in public places. The public meeting, sponsored by the Tobacco Free Coalition for Tulsa County, was held at the Tulsa County Medical Society. Oklahoma and Tennessee are the only two states that do not allow cities to create smoking restrictions that are stricter than state law. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20110111_11_0_Localh784319&allcom=1 11 Jan 2011 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY -- Individual cities could get their chance to outlaw smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places. Health leaders and lawmakers presented a new plan to make the measure happen Tuesday. State law has kept cities and towns from passing bans on smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants. http://www.koco.com/r/26959006/detail.html 23 Feb 2011 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma State Department of Health is paying restaurants to go smoke free. The "Restaurant Smoking Room Rebate Program" hopes to boost Oklahoma health and reduce the number of restaurants that have smoking rooms. The rebate program's goal is to reduce exposure of restaurant employees and customers to secondhand smoke. http://www.newson6.com/story/15377084/oklahoma-restaurants-can-get-paid-for-going-smoke-free 2 Sep 2011 11:11 -0800 Oklahoma