Tobacco Facts.

Sponsors of a statewide smoking ban conceded Tuesday that the issue is lost for this legislative session.

Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, blamed the smooth, silent wisps left by the tobacco lobby for killing the measure that would have banned smoking in public places, mirroring ordinances in more than 20 Texas cities.

While some lawmakers said they opposed the measure because it placed restrictions on privately owned businesses, Ellis said that was just a smoke screen.

“Big Tobacco is a powerful interest group to go up against,” he said. “They’re smart. They have focus groups. They know what issues to troop out there.”

Tobacco companies have hired about 40 lobbyists for around $2 million this session, but tobacco interests said they are being blamed unfairly. Altria, one of the largest tobacco companies, said it does not lobby on smoking bans.

Cigar shops, vending companies and bar owners publicly questioned the proposal’s encroachment on their customers and businesses.

Still, more than half of the House and Senate members had publicly supported the plan, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst personally lobbied senators to try to win sufficient support.

House sponsor Rep. Myra Crown-over, R-Denton, wasn’t ready to point fingers but said education was still necessary so that more Texans would realize that secondhand smoke kills.

“The bill was specifically and exclusively written to protect employees in the state of Texas, who shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their paycheck,” Crownover said.

She said she is determined to pursue the issue in lawmakers’ next session in two years, convinced a ban could save “thousands of lives and billions of dollars.”

© Copyright: Dallasnews

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