News & Information
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| For Immediate Release |
Contact: Andy Deloney |
May 22, 2009
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517/377-3931 |
MRA Statement on House Committee Action on Smoking Ban
The Michigan Restaurant Association continues to support the freedom of choice that restaurant and tavern operators, and their patrons, currently enjoy, which is to decide for themselves the kinds of hospitality environments they want.
As more and more diners and restaurant and tavern employees indicate they prefer non-smoking environments, more and more restaurants and taverns have chosen – on their own – to provide a smoke-free environment.
There are 5,700 smoke-free restaurants and taverns in the state of Michigan today – about one-third of all establishments. This represents an increase in the number of smoke-free establishments of about 158 percent since 1998. Even if this Legislature does nothing, there will continue to be more and more smoke-free restaurants.
The bill being reported by the House Regulatory Reform Committee this week is a purely political bill. It is not at all a public health bill. If this bill were about public health, the bill would prohibit smoking in all hospitality establishments in the state. Rather, this bill contains numerous exemptions. If the proponents of smoking bans were serious about making Michigan smoke-free, they should have the courage of their convictions and fight for a clean bill.
If this issue were truly about protecting public health and protecting workers, there should be no exemptions. Rather, by passing a bill that contains these exemptions, proponents reveal their true purpose here: playing politics. Unfortunately, the real victims in their game are the restaurant and tavern owners and their employees who will lose business and lose jobs.
Some argue that the exemptions are needed to protect these establishments. In other words, it respects the private property rights of selected establishments while completely eliminating them for many others. Once again, this is about politics – not about public health or protecting businesses.
In addition to these problems, there are more. The bill requires food service establishments (FSE) – and only food service establishments – to provide employee manuals with information on a smoking ban.
The Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) is the recognized leader of Michigan's hospitality industry, providing essential services to the foodservice community. Founded in 1921, the MRA represents more than 4,500 Michigan foodservice establishments. The industry plays an integral role in Michigan's economy, employing more than 423,600 people and creating more than $13.1 billion in annual sales. For more information please call 800-968-9668.
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