Today Joe pointed out [lj] some possible developments in the smoke-free indoor air environment Seattleites have come to know and love (or know and hate, depending) over the past month. At least three bills are making their way through the corridors of power in Olympia to modify the statewide smoking ban:

House Bill 2502 [wa] would do two things. First, it provides what looks to me like a big loophole for businesses to get out of the ban. Proprietors who demonstrate a ten percent decline in gross revenues would be able to get a waiver. What the bill fails to explain is the standards by which this decrease would be judged or if the losses even need to be directly attributable to the smoking ban. While this would allow hookah bars and cigar shops to continue to exist, it also seems like any bar that happened to be closed for a few extra days between 9 December and 9 January would easily be able to allow patrons to smoke. A second provision would require that the fines could only be imposed by Health Department officials who directly observe a violation. Furthermore, to issue a fine, this hypothetical health department employee who works nights and hangs out at clubs would need to have clear and convincing evidence that the business owner or designated 23 employee has made no attempt to comply with the law.

House Bill [wa] would redefine “place of employment” to exclude buildings or parts of a building where religious ceremonies are conducted when smoking is part of the ritual. Whether the religious communities are scoping out bars for services remains unclear.

Senate Bill 6667 [wa] would allow smokers to stay closer to the bars and restaurants while they smoked, reducing the twenty-five foot rule to a more modest ten feet.
For now these are all floating around in committees; so who knows if they’ll go anywhere or how the language will turn out. Just something to keep in mind the next time you’re enjoying (or suffering through) a smokefree night out.