• Home

Bernd Meier

Home smoking state government tobacco Broad ban on use of tobacco on state property takes effect, except in Capitol and Annex, where law supersedes policy

Broad ban on use of tobacco on state property takes effect, except in Capitol and Annex, where law supersedes policy

Written by Unknown on 8:22 AM ,
"Despite a smoking ban and a tobacco-free campus policy starting Thursday for any of the more than 3,000 state buildings, legislative employees working at the Capitol Annex can still light up without a write-up," Brad Bowman reports for The State Journal in Frankfort.

Gov. Steve Beshear's new policy bans use of tobacco products in all executive branch properties, with a few specific exceptions. The ban took effect Thursday, to coincide with the American Cancer Society’s "Great American Smokeout Day," which encourages smokers to quit.

Beshear can set policy for all such properties except those in the Capitol and Capitol Annex, which are set by law. “The statute prohibits smoking in public areas, such as hallways, offices shared by more than one person, stairwells, restrooms, the cafeteria and conference rooms,” Robert Weber, public information officer for Legislative Research Commission, told Bowman. The state House “prohibits smoking in common areas and office suites,” House Speaker Greg Stumbo said.

The state Supreme Court recently voted to make its Capitol space smoke-free, and “The use of tobacco products is prohibited in all areas of the AOC campus without exception,” Administrative Office of the Courts spokeswoman Jamie Neal told Bowman. “This includes common work areas, conference and meeting rooms, private offices, hallways, break rooms, restrooms, outdoor grassy areas, picnic-table areas and parking lots.”

Beshear's office says about 5,000 executive branch state workers report using tobacco, "raising their health care costs an average of 20 percent higher than those that don’t," Bowman reports.

Exceptions to Beshear's order include state parks, the state fairgrounds, the Frankfort convention center, state-maintained rest areas, military training centers and armories.
Tweet
Newer Post Older Post

Popular Posts

  • Study of poor but healthy Appalachian counties aims to find community-based approaches to improving the region's health
    Though some people equate Appalachian areas with poverty, David Krol seeks to "shine a light" on a different picture—one that refl...
  • Heavy use of e-cigarettes may deliver big doses of formaldehyde, which can be a cause of lung cancer, study suggests
    Vapor produced by electronic cigarettes can contain a surprisingly high concentration of formaldehyde—a known carcinogen that can cause lun...
  • As part of UK campus food deal, Aramark puts up $5 million for Food Connection, vows to purchase Kentucky products
    By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The University of Kentucky has entered a $5 million public-private partnership designed to promote ...
  • McConnell seeks 'timely and fair review' of plan for Medicare coverage of CT scans for those at high risk for lung cancer
    U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell asked Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  Administrator Marilyn Tavenner to "give a timely and fair r...
  • Kynect private-insurance enrollment runs through Feb. 15; exchange works to get taxpayers information to prove coverage
    With the close of open enrollment coming Feb. 15, state officials are making a final push to get Kentuckians to enroll in Medicaid or buy pr...
  • Ten common myths about diabetes busted
    Kentucky ranks 17th in diabetes, and many Kentuckians are newly diagnosed every year with the disease, usually Type 2 diabetes. The diagnosi...
  • Anderson schools' lunch profit is down nearly 10 percent; officials blame new federal nutrition standards; students object to food
    Anderson County s chool officials say new federal nutrition standards are costing them money and hurting poor students because the students...
  • Senate OKs bill for review panels in medical lawsuits after lively debate between doctors, lawyers, others
    This story, which was published Thursday morning, has been updated with action in the full Senate. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News F...
  • Medicare plans to pay for lung-cancer screening, a boon to Ky.
    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  plan to start paying for lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans for people at high ris...
  • County Health Rankings look familiar, but show that some counties overcame bad factors to have encouraging outcomes
    The 2015 County Health Rankings for Kentucky, compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in collaboration with the...
Bernd Meier © . All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger