by KYW's Tony Romeo
The Pennsylvania state senate has rejected, for the time being at least, a compromise bill that would have banned smoking in most workplaces and public spaces across the commonwealth.
The chamber voted 31-19 against the measure after Democratic senators complained that it does not allow Allegheny County and Scranton, which had approved local bans, to enforce stronger ordinances (see previous story). But a court struck down Allegheny County's last year, and Scranton never enforced its own, fearing a similar fate.
The bill would have barred every county and municipality, with the exception of Philadelphia, from enacting its own smoking ban. It would let stand Philadelphia's year-and-a-half-old ban, the only active local smoking ordinance in the state.
Wayne Fontana is a Democratic state senator from Allegheny County, which includes the city of Pittsburgh:
“We have the opportunity here to give local governments the opportunity to enact a stricter law. Allegheny County did that, and the unfairness of this is that they don’t have the chance to re-enact what they did enact.”
But moments after the Senate rejected the smoking legislation, the chamber passed a motion to “reconsider” the vote, effectively putting the bill back on the calendar. One option going forward, Senate Republicans say, is that the bill could get another vote.
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