And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more unpredictable, the state Senate rejected the smoking ban compromise 31-19. The overriding issue was the prohibition in the bill on local municipalilties enacting their own, tougher smoking bans.
This issue has morphed into a significant road block for the proposed smoking ban. Last month, Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell threatened to veto any legislation that would prevent local governments and counties from having the right to enact stiffer bans (partly because legislators were talking about a weak smoking ban that would have undermined current one in Rendell’s hometown of Philadelphia). Then Rendell announced he would support a bill that barred local control but exempted Philadelphia. And now Senate Republicans have voted this down for the very reason Rendell threatened to veto in the first place.
Our heads at the Nest are spinning like the Exorcist girl trying to follow that.
The state House approved the measure by a wide margin.
Check back as we’ll note who voted which way.
Update: The Lancaster House members who voted in favor of the ban: John Bear, Scott Boyd, Mike Sturla, Dave Hickernell and Katie True. Voting in the negative were Tom Creighton, Bryan Cutler and Denlinger.
In the Senate, Gibson E. Armstrong and Mike Brubaker voted in favor.
