LIHUE >> Backers of what would be the toughest restrictions in restaurant smoking in Hawaii tried to reach for more yesterday and ended up walking away from the Kauai County Council without what appeared to be a slam-dunk victory. Addition effort trips
Kauai smoking bill
By Anthony Sommer
tsommer@starbulletin.comThe bill clearly had the votes to pass at the beginning of yesterday's meeting. It would ban smoking in all restaurants, whether indoor or outdoor.
But the Council decided to add restaurants with less than five employees as places where smoking would be banned. Currently, all businesses with less than five employees are exempt from state smoking restrictions unless the counties decide otherwise.
The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii insisted the bill be broadened even more to include all small businesses in the smoking ban.
Its efforts to make the bill even tougher drew so much opposition that Councilman Kaipo Asing asked that the measure be sent back to a committee for possible amendments.
"I have some concerns about personal rights," Asing said. "We're taking away personal rights and that is wrong."
Council Chairman Ron Kouchi said the original measure, drafted almost a year ago, was aimed strictly at restaurants. He said he would support it but it would not be expanded.
Asing, who was absent during the debate at the last two meetings, said he believes a restaurant owner should have the right to say to prospective employees and customers: "If you don't want to apply to work here, don't. If you don't want to eat here, don't."
County of Kauai
