March 10

The House Health and Human Services Committee is having hearings this week on a bill to ban smoking in most public places in Kansas.

Those places would include bars and restaurants.

The bill passed the Senate last month. It includes several
exemptions, including private clubs and the gambling floor of
state-owned casinos.

Committee Chairwoman Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, said
today that the panel will decide next week whether to endorse the
bill. But Landwehr said smoking bans are best left to local
governments.

Supporters say the bill would reduce the amount of exposure to
secondhand smoke.

At least 23 states require most public places and workplaces to
be smoke-free.