What’s Subsequent For PA On line casino Smoking Invoice? ‘It’s Up To Home Management’

The difficulty of smoking inside Pennsylvania casinos has hit a wall. Progress was made late final yr when the Defending Employees from Secondhand Smoke Act handed by the Home Committee. As of now, the invoice is sitting on the Home flooring with no timetable for a vote.

Pennsylvania casinos are one of many solely indoor institutions the place smoking is allowed.

No timeline for Pennsylvania smoking invoice to maneuver off Home flooring

Allegheny County Democratic Rep. Dan Frankel launched the non-smoking invoice, in any other case referred to as HB 1657, in September of final yr.

The invoice handed out of the Home Committee final November after a 13-11 vote. Since then, there was no motion.

PlayPennsylvania reached out to Rep. Frankel’s workplace to get an replace. Sadly, there isn’t a lot of 1. A spokesperson from the workplace mentioned:

“It handed the committee within the fall, however hasn’t come up for a vote but on the Home flooring. We don’t know when that might be, sadly. It’s as much as Home management.”

Frankel’s workplace informed PlayPennsylvania that there are different payments to vote on earlier than the Home Committee returns to session on March 18. It’s unknown if the smoking invoice might be voted on that day. Regardless of the delay, Frankel’s workplace has not overlooked the objective at hand.

“Within the meantime, although, we now have been working to make sure that we may have the votes to move it on a bipartisan foundation,” the spokesperson added.

PlayPennsylvania spoke with Rep. Frankel in November earlier than the vote, the place the lawmaker mentioned he was “completely sure” the invoice would move, as he hoped the invoice would land on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk in March or April of this yr.

That timeframe seems to be in jeopardy as of now.

When might the smoking ban invoice move in Pennsylvania?

Now that there’s no precise timetable for the invoice to undergo the Home flooring, it’s definitely trying just like the again half of 2024 is when the invoice might move on the earliest. Listed below are the entire steps wanted to move the legislature:

• Flow into a bit of proposed laws amongst colleagues and ask to co-sponsor
• Introduce invoice and Speaker of Home refers it to committee
• Committee chairman decides to carry invoice or run it by committee
• Ship to Home flooring with affirmative vote
• Cross it on the Home flooring
• Ship to Senate to undergo above steps
• Ship to Senate flooring

The primary 4 actions have been accomplished. There are three extra to go, which might take a number of months.

PlayPennsylvania just lately made a visit to a few casinos in Philadelphia final December. There have been combined opinions on the smoking difficulty. One visitor at Stay! On line casino Philadelphia informed us:

“It might suck (if smoking received banned). That’s what the world goes towards. I’m shocked I can nonetheless smoke right here anyway.”

One other visitor informed us a smoke ban would enhance his weekly visits to Stay! On line casino Philadelphia.

The invoice challenges loopholes within the Clear Indoor Air Act of 2008. Parx On line casino Bensalem and Shippensburg are the one two services within the state which have stayed voluntarily smoke-free because the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s one thing the remainder of the trade would wish to get used to, ought to the invoice move someday this yr.

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