Senate panel advances anti-smoking bill with tax break

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Feb 15, 2002

A bill passed by a Senate committee on Thursday would give a tax break to restaurants that bar smoking, but it would ban smoking at other businesses, even a one-person operation.

Anyone convicted of smoking in any place where the public is invited or permitted would be subject to a fine of up to $100 under the bill by Sen. Ben Robinson, D-Muskogee.

Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow, won passage of an amendment that would give restaurants a 0.75-cent offset on the 4.5 percent sales tax they rebate to the state if they ban smoking in their establishments.

Pruitt's amendment deleted the language broadening the smoking ban to cover all businesses and places where people gather. Pruitt said that was too intrusive.

However, Sen. Bernest Cain, chairman of the Human Service Committee, restored that language in another amendment and it was sent to the Senate floor.

Cain, D-Oklahoma City, said he had recently returned from California, where he said strict guidelines on smoking in public are popular with most residents.

Robinson said he would probably amend the bill further on the floor so it is not so restrictive as to preclude owners of small businesses from smoking in their own buildings.

He said he also would seek to change language that would prohibit smoking within 25 feet of a health care facility. He said safety concerns have been raised about that restriction as it applies to facilities that care for Alzheimer's patients.

A bill similar to Robinson's was killed in the House when the House Business and Labor Committee refused to consider it.

Robinson said his bill will probably need additional work to get through the Senate over opposition from the tobacco lobby and other interests.

He said Pruitt's idea of a "voluntary ban" by restaurants was an approach that has some merit.

"I think it's worth exploring. It's a step in the right direction," he said.

The tax break would cost an estimated $22 million if every restaurant that qualifies takes advantage of the law and bars smoking in their facilities.

Presently, state law allows restaurants to allow smoking, ban the practice or have nonsmoking areas.

City hall defeated

Efforts in Davis to save this southern Oklahoma town's century- old city hall have failed.

City officials approved tearing down the storm-damaged structure by a 3-2 vote. The city will build a new building for the police and fire departments and one for the city's administrative staff.

No date has been set on when the building will be brought down, City Clerk Paula Pollard said Wednesday.

The building was damaged during storms over the Memorial Day weekend last year.

Strong winds tore the roof off city hall, exposing much of the building to rain and wind damage.

City employees were moved into temporary quarters. The police and fire departments were able to share undamaged space at the old building.

Since May, the damaged building was left exposed to the elements.

Subsequent rain and snow left mold infestation and water damage throughout the building, making restoration an expensive endeavor.

Officials said the old building, even if repaired, was too small for the city's needs.

The new city hall will be built on the same property where the old building stands. The police and fire stations will be built nearby.

There is no cost estimate for the new buildings.

Money from Firestone

The state has received a check for $530,000 as part of a national settlement with Bridgestone/ Firestone, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.

Oklahoma was among 53 jurisdictions that filed and settled lawsuits against the company in November. The $51.5 million agreement settled lawsuits concerning allegedly defective tires and misrepresentations the company made in promoting and replacing the tires. Oklahoma received $530,000 to be used for consumer protection initiatives and to reimburse the state for investigative costs, Edmondson said.

About $10 million of the settlement money nationwide will go to consumer restitution and another $5 million will be devoted to a national public service campaign on tire safety.

Settlement terms require Bridgestone/Firestone to contact all consumers denied refunds under the company's voluntary safety tire recall reimbursement program or their customer satisfaction program to explain that consumers can seek reconsideration for their refund denial.

Edmondson said that as many as 300 Oklahomans could be eligible for restitution under that part of the settlement. More than 46,000 tires were replaced in Oklahoma.

A $500,000 endowment from a Japanese company will help fund new weather research and technology at the University of Oklahoma.

Weather recruiting

Weathernews International of Tokyo likely will look to Oklahoma to recruit future employees, John Snow, dean of OU's College of Geosciences, said.

"They are looking for opportunities to invest in world-class programs," Snow said. "That's the exact and sole reason they're here."

The money will fund a new faculty member at the school of meteorology who will conduct research, he said. The university will request that the state Regents for Higher Education seek matching funds from the Legislature.