Smoking Ban Vote Postponed

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...A proposed statewide ban on smoking in public places could receive a vote in the House Health and Welfare Committee Wednesday after Chairman Tom Burch, D-Louisville, called off a meeting Monday because some lawmakers who support the proposal were unavailable to attend. The measure had been expected to come up for a vote last week, but a Republican boycott forced it to be postponed because the panel lacked a quorum. The bill, intended to protect Kentuckians from second-hand smoke, would prohibit lighting up indoors at a wide range of businesses, including bars and restaurants. The ban would extend even to private homes if those homes are used for child care or adult daycare. Such a measure has been discussed in Kentucky for years, but lawmakers in the major tobacco-producing state have been reluctant to tackle the issue. Representative Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, says she is confident the measure will pass the committee, but she doesn't think it has the votes to get out of the Senate.