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1997 SESSION

973736126
HOUSE BILL NO. 2742
Offered January 20, 1997
A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.1-291.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act.
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Patrons-- Barlow, Almand, Crittenden, Darner, Morgan and Van Yahres; Senators: Howell and Whipple
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Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15.1-291.2 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.1-291.2. Statewide regulation of smoking.

A. The Commonwealth or any agency thereof and every county, city, or town shall provide reasonable no-smoking areas, considering the nature of the use and the size of the building, in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof or a county, city, or town. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to office, work or other areas of the Department of Corrections which are not entered by the general public in the normal course of business or use of the premises.

B. Smoking shall be prohibited in (i) elevators, regardless of capacity, except in any open material hoist elevator, not intended for use by the public; (ii) public school buses; (iii) the interior of any public elementary, intermediate, and secondary school; however, smoking may be allowed by a local school division in a designated area which is not a common area, including but not limited to, a classroom, library, hallway, restroom, cafeteria, gymnasium, or auditorium after regular school hours so long as all student activities in the building have been concluded; (iv) hospital emergency rooms; (v) local or district health departments; (vi) polling rooms; (vii) indoor service lines and cashier lines; (viii) public restrooms in any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof; (ix) the interior of a child day center licensed pursuant to § 63.1-196 that is not also used for residential purposes; however, this prohibition shall not apply to any area of a building not utilized by a child day center, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter; and (x) public restrooms of health care facilities; and (xi) restrooms in restaurants.

C. Any restaurant having a seating capacity of fifty or more persons shall have a designated no-smoking area sufficient to meet customer demand. In determining the extent of the no-smoking area, the following shall not be included as seating capacity: (i) seats in any bar or lounge area of a restaurant and (ii) seats in any separate room or section of a restaurant which is used exclusively for private functions.

D. The proprietor or other person in charge of an educational facility, except any public elementary, intermediate, or secondary school, health care facility, or a retail establishment of 15,000 square feet or more serving the general public, including, but not limited to, department stores, grocery stores, drug stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, and recreational facilities shall designate reasonable no-smoking areas, considering the nature of the use and the size of the building.

E. The proprietor or other person in charge of a space subject to the provisions of this chapter shall post signs conspicuous to public view stating "Smoking Permitted" or "No Smoking," and in restaurants, signs conspicuous to ordinary public view at or near each public entrance stating "No-Smoking Section Available." Any person failing to post such signs may be subject to a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five dollars.

F. No person shall smoke in a designated no-smoking area and any person who continues to smoke in such area after having been asked to refrain from smoking may be subject to a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five dollars.

G. Any law-enforcement officer may issue a summons regarding a violation of this chapter.

H. The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to regulate smoking in retail tobacco stores, tobacco warehouses or tobacco manufacturing facilities.