DURHAM N.C. The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association said Thursday it would now oppose an amended version of a proposed statewide smoking ban.
The association initially said it would remain neutral on House Bill 2 as long as no exemptions were added to the proposal, which in its original form prohibited smoking in all public places and workplaces. On Wednesday, lawmakers amended to measure to exclude establishments that do not admit minors, such as bars and private clubs.
The House passed the amended bill Thursday 72-45. It now goes to the Senate, where leaders said they expected the amended version to pass, according to the Associated Press.
Paul Stone, president and chief executive of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, said that because the revamped bill was no longer fair, his group would now fight its passage in the Senate.
Asimilar bill was introduced in 2007, but the restaurant association helped to quash the legislation before it became a law, Stone noted.
“The original bill was a bill we could accept because it was an across-the-board ban,” Stone said. “It was a level playing field, so we did not object to it, but going in we knew someone would be sending in amendments to it. Unlike in the last session [in 2007] when we knew exactly what it was, saw it from the beginning and successfully defeated it, this time we didn’t know where the amendments would come from.”
Stone said that 80 percent of his members initially had agreed to remain neutral to the ban. Now, however, they would “have to put together a grassroots effort like we did before and try to defeat the bill on the Senate side,” Stone said.
“It’s going to be close — we were able to do it on the House side — but we’ve never had to do it on the Senate side,” he continued. “It’ll be a new battle because it’s a different set of players.”
Stone said he expected it would be several weeks before the Senate begins hearings on the legislation.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].