Oklahoma House bill giving local government power to ban smoking on city property passes House

The Senate on Wednesday voted 44-1 for the bill that would allow local governments to prohibit smoking on publicly owned property, including parks and sports complexes.

 

Springer Republican Sen. Frank Simpson who sponsored the bill says many communities across the state already had bans in place that were essentially ruled void as a result of a recent opinion by Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office. That opinion determined such bans were illegal under a state law that prohibits municipalities from enacting tougher smoking regulations than already exist under state law.

 

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.