Senate to take up smoking ban measure

The Senate is expected to take up a bill tomorrow that would ban smoking in public places in the Commonwealth.

House Bill 16-47, or “the Smoke-free Air Act of 2008,” would ban smoking in enclosed public places and indoor workplaces must be completely smoke-free. It also bans smoking within 25 feet of doorways, windows, and ventilation intakes. But there are several exemptions. The smoking ban does not apply to bars, private residences, and retail tobacco stores, as well as hotel rooms and private rooms in nursing homes that are designated as smoking.

The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 15-1 in October. The Senate must pass the measure before it heads to the governor for his signature.

Gov. Benigno Fitial had earlier expressed reluctance to approve the bill, saying such a move could harm the Northern Marianas’ tourism industry. Smoking is common in the Commonwealth’s top tourism markets such as Japan, Korea, and China. However, Fitial has welcomed the decision by some local establishments to go smoke-free.

In American Samoa, Gov. Togiola Tulafono in November vetoed a ban on smoking in all workplaces, which had been passed days earlier by the territory’s Legislature.

The smoking ban has received broad support from the community. The Department of Public Health called the bill “a stepping stone toward improved health for our CNMI community.” The CNMI Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition said the measure is “long-awaited and much needed.”

Palauan leaders also expressed their support for the legislation. Palau’s Office of the Council of Chiefs said, “Tobacco use was never part of our Pacific tradition and so legislation to control its use will go toward reinforcing traditional practice-a healthy policy on the part of Pacific people which we embrace.”

For its part, the local business sector has offered a qualified support for the bill. The Saipan Chamber of Commerce backed the smoking ban, but urged lawmakers to adopt certain amendments providing relief to bars and hotels. The business group was successful in getting the bill amended to exempt restaurants with attached bars after regular dining hours.

However, lawmakers rejected the Chamber’s proposals to remove the 20-percent limit on the number of rooms in a hotel where the owners permit smoking, and to remove the prohibition on smoking within 25 feet of an establishment where a ban is in place.