Governor Ed Rendell yesterday said he would veto any legislation to ban smoking in public places statewide if it would weaken the law that Philadelphia already has in place, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Philadelphia has taken a strong stand to support the public health of its residents, and I will not backtrack on that,” Rendell said.

Legislators on a join House and Senate committee have been trying to strike a compromise for months on a statewide smoking ban, but one of their clauses is that they want it to be comprehensive, to preempt all local municipality smoking bans, including Philadelphia’s nearly two-year-old ban. The statewide proposal also allows multiple exceptions, such as private clubs, cigar bars, and casinos.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus.

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