Ore. lawmakers want to boot smokers from bars

Publication Date: 2007-02-13

• Author:Aaron Clark, AP
• Publication:KTVB Boise

From Rhode Island to Washington State, legislatures are increasingly stamping out all remaining vestiges of public smoking. Oregon may be getting in on the act soon.

Although the state barred smoking in the workplace in 2001, taverns, bar areas in restaurants, bowling allies and bingo halls were exempted. Now, Oregon lawmakers say they're ready to end the exemption that tobacco and restaurant lobbyists have fought for years to keep.

And with Democrats now in control of both the House and Senate, backers of the smoking ban believe their chances are better than ever of snuffing out public smoking.