LIHUE >> A bill to prohibit smoking in restaurants that is much tougher than those passed recently on Oahu and Maui was sent back to a Kauai County Council committee yesterday for "additional work." Kauai no-smoking bill
returned to committee
for more work
By Anthony Sommer
tsommer@starbulletin.comThe Council had been scheduled to take a final vote on the measure, which prohibits smoking in both indoor and outdoor dining areas.
But yesterday also was the first time the restaurant industry showed up to testify against the bill. Most urged the Council to remove the ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas.
State Health Director Bruce Anderson endorsed the bill as it is written.
"It's hard for me to understand why anyone would want to make any exceptions," he said.
Anderson said he hoped the Big Island, the only county where no action on any smoking ban has been taken, "will follow it."
Technically, the bill went back to a committee to remove an exception for family-owned small restaurants at which family members are the only employees. But in reality the move reopens the bill to any new amendments.
County of Kauai
