Smoking Ban Rally

At a rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday doctors, legislators and a great many others gathered to show their support for a state wide ban on smoking in all businesses.

Battle Creek resident Al Shifflett III said, "I've been to other states within the nation who have smoke free legislation and it's great to go into a cleaner establishment."

The fact of the matter is both the House and Senate have passed smoking bans before. They just can't agree on who should be covered and who should not.

The Senate says no businesses should be exempt while the House has tried to push through legislation that would allow places like casinos and bingo halls to still allow smoking.

Some business owners say it should be all or nothing in order to level the playing field. Others say the government has no right to tell them how to run their shops.

Anti-smoking advocates say it's not about the owners, it's about the people who chose to eat and work there.

Katherine Knoll of the American Heart Association said, "We want a healthy workplace that isn't exposed to second hand smoke."

"You should have the choice to go into a place no matter where it is that is smoke free," said Shifflett.

The smoking bill was not voted on Tuesday, but we're told it could happen by the end of the week.