Cigar Association of America lobbies successfully to prevent smoking ban in Kentucky.
Thanks in part to the lobbying efforts of the Cigar Association of America (CAA), the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) and others, a bill that would have enacted a statewide smoking ban in Kentucky is dead for the fifth consecutive year, CAA reported.
HB 145 would have banned smoking in indoor public places and places of employment.
The bill passed in the House by a vote of 51-46, but was then assigned to the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee, where it will not get voted on this year.
Supporters of the bill believe the bill was doomed when it was assigned to this committee, since the committee’s chairperson is opposed to the ban, CAA reported.
Senate Republican Leader Damon Thayer said the bill didn’t have the necessary votes to pass, and that with just seven days left in the session, the bill wasn’t a priority.
According to Thayer, most senators “are concerned about the infringement on private property rights, free enterprise and more big government telling small businesses what to do.”
This is another major victory for the CAA in Kentucky.
