Statewide smoking ban passed the Iowa Senate

Publication Date: 2008-02-27

• Author:JENNIFER JACOBS
• Publication:DesMoinesRegister.com

A sweeping statewide smoking ban passed the Iowa Senate Wednesday night, but whether it becomes law depends on whether Democrats in the Iowa House can now drum up the votes for it...

In California and Minnesota, half of the population was covered by a local smoke-free law before the statewide law took effect, according to Annie Tegen of American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.

Only small number of states--such as Delaware, Washington and Idaho--have passed strong statewide smoke-free laws without many local laws in place, Tegen said.

Iowa law currently doesn't allow local ordinances to be more strict than state law. The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that citywide smoking bans are not valid.