RALEIGH (AP) ó The North Carolina House has approved a bid to ban secondhand smoke from restaurants and other businesses where children are present.
Lawmakers in the country’s top tobacco-growing state voted 72-45 on Thursday to send the proposed limit on secondhand smoke to the state Senate, where top leaders said they expect the limited smoking ban to pass.
A broader proposal that would have banned smoking from all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, was changed Wednesday. The measure now would ban smoking in businesses that employ or serve anyone under age 18, but not to most other businesses.
The already weak enforcement provisions survived efforts on Thursday to make fines for businesses that break the law even more rare.