Smoking ban would be eased in conference amendment

Lawmakers have added language to an Assembly bill designed to relax one part of ban on indoor smoking.

AB309 is a bill which expands the definition of stalking to include the use of a communications device such as a cellphone.

Assembly Judiciary Chairman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, was unable to explain how smoking was germane to a stalking bill. But he emphasized that the new language makes a very specific and limited change to the voter-approved Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act.

He said the change is designed to get the annual cigar aficionados convention to return to Las Vegas by permitting smoking in the Las Vegas convention faculty they use to meet. After the ban was imposed, that convention went to New Orleans this past year.

The change is much narrower than legislation proposed earlier in the session which would have once again allowed smoking in bars which serve food.

Anderson said the language added by a conference committee permits no other expansion of smoking to restaurants and other facilities where it is now banned under the law.