A contentious bill that would enact a statewide ban on smoking in shared public spaces and places of employment is dead, the sponsor says.
Democratic Rep. Susan Westrom of Lexington said Thursday that despite high public approval and Democratic leadership urging progress on the bill, it is unlikely to be taken up for a vote on the House floor this session. Westrom says it's due to pressure from lobbying organizations and some lawmakers.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo said he didn't kill the bill but that it had been steadily losing support since being filed.
"I think that it could do much better in a non-election year. Quite frankly, a lot of members that we spoke with, both Democrats and Republicans, didn't really want to address the issue in an election year and that became more and more of a concern as that spread through the general membership," Stumbo told reporters.
Westrom says she remains hopeful that companion legislation in the Senate will pass both chambers.
