Atlantic City casino smoking legislation heads to Senate committee hearing
Legislation banning smoking at Atlantic City casinos will take effect in Trenton later this week.
The New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Seniors Committee is scheduled to consider Thursday Senate Bill 264, which would eliminate exemptions from the smoking ban at casinos and broadcast venues.
The bill was introduced in January 2022 by Sens. Joseph Vitale (D-Northern Middlesex) and Shirley Turner (D-Mercer).
In the capital, Trenton, banning indoor smoking in casinos and pari-mutuel venues has broad bipartisan support. Still, Democratic leadership reportedly delayed the bill and parts of the House measure for nearly two years until this month's elections.
Information about smoking
With the election over, Democrats appear more willing to tackle contentious issues like smoking in casinos. Executives at an oceanfront casino warned lawmakers that the smoking ban could cost 2,500 jobs. Such regulations would harm their gambling operations.
When New Jersey lawmakers drafted the state's Smoke-Free Air Act in 2006, it included a provision allowing casinos to reserve up to 25 percent of their gaming floors for indoor tobacco use. Loopholes also exist for hookup venues, cigar lounges and bars, where revenue from food and alcohol is “incidental.” The hotel also allows smoking in 20% of its rooms.
In order for casinos to qualify for indoor smoking, they must have at least 150 slot machines and 10 gaming tables. Each of the nine casinos easily meets these minimum requirements.
Vitale and Turner's bill seeks to close loopholes in smoking laws in casinos and simulcast gambling.
"The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that casino workers are at higher risk for lung and heart disease from second-hand smoke, and a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that the air inside casinos can be up to 50 times more toxic than Vita "It can be hot," Lay and Turner said in the legislation. "It contains more cancer-causing particles than the air on the motorway during rush hour.
"This bill would protect all New Jersey workers from the hazards of secondhand smoke by requiring casinos and casino simulcast facilities to become smoke-free workplaces," they added.
Election Decision
In the parliamentary election on November 7, all 120 seats in the Senate and State Assembly are up for election. Democrats have controlled both houses of Congress since 2004. But after losing seats in the 2021 elections, the party leadership is worried about losing more seats and even a majority.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Cumberland), the state's second-largest Democrat behind Gov. Phil Murphy, highlighted the highlights of the 2021 Republican election he lost to A truck driver who personally donated just $153 to his campaign. Sweeney is a long-time supporter of Atlantic City and strongly opposed the law banning indoor smoking at playgrounds.
But on November 7, 2023, the Democrats not only retained control of the House and Senate, but also expanded their power. Democrats increased their majority by five seats in the 80-seat House of Representatives and maintained a 10-seat majority in the 40-seat Senate.
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Source: www.casino.org
