Compromise on state smoking ban is in sight

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, June, 2008 | by Angela Couloumbis Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG - Philadelphia would get to keep its two-year-old smoking ban, while the rest of the state would be allowed to stamp out smoking in most workplaces under a compromise bill negotiated yesterday by a joint committee of the House and Senate. The compromise came after months of protracted debate that, at times, threatened to derail the measure.

The bill approved yesterday will now be sent to the full membership of the House and Senate. Lawmakers are not allowed to amend it - they can only render a yes-or-no vote. Both the Senate and the House could consider it as early as today. Gov. Rendell, through a spokesman, called the bill a "major step forward," and said he would sign it. "The governor urges both houses to take up the bill as quickly as possible and get it to...