By Romo                                                H.B. No. 241
       74R2199 KLL-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to minimum standards for smoking in public places or at
    1-3  public meetings; providing penalties.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subtitle H, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
    1-6  amended by adding Chapter 165 to read as follows:
    1-7                    CHAPTER 165.  SMOKING IN PUBLIC
    1-8        Sec. 165.001.  PURPOSE.  The purpose of this chapter is to
    1-9  protect the public health, comfort, and environment by prohibiting
   1-10  smoking in public places and at public meetings except in
   1-11  designated smoking areas.
   1-12        Sec. 165.002.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:
   1-13              (1)  "Public meeting" means a meeting open to the
   1-14  public and held in an enclosed area unless the meeting is held in a
   1-15  private residence.
   1-16              (2)  "Public place" means an enclosed, indoor area that
   1-17  is used by the public or that serves as a workplace, and includes:
   1-18                    (A)  all or part of a building used for state or
   1-19  local governmental purposes;
   1-20                    (B)  a retail store, office, or other commercial
   1-21  establishment;
   1-22                    (C)  a grocery store;
   1-23                    (D)  a restaurant or cafeteria;
   1-24                    (E)  a public primary or secondary school;
    2-1                    (F)  a public institution of higher education;
    2-2                    (G)  a school bus;
    2-3                    (H)  a rest room;
    2-4                    (I)  a health care facility;
    2-5                    (J)  a theater, movie house, auditorium, or
    2-6  arena;
    2-7                    (K)  an elevator;
    2-8                    (L)  a public means of mass transportation,
    2-9  including associated terminals;
   2-10                    (M)  a courtroom;
   2-11                    (N)  a jury waiting or deliberation room;
   2-12                    (O)  a library;
   2-13                    (P)  a child care nursery;
   2-14                    (Q)  a recreational facility;
   2-15                    (R)  a place of employment;
   2-16                    (S)  a place providing personal services; or
   2-17                    (T)  a service line, cashier area,
   2-18  over-the-counter sales area, or common traffic area.
   2-19              (3)  "Smoke," "smokes," or "smoking" includes:
   2-20                    (A)  carrying or holding a lighted pipe, cigar,
   2-21  or cigarette of any kind or any other lighted smoking equipment or
   2-22  device;
   2-23                    (B)  lighting a pipe, cigar, or cigarette of any
   2-24  kind or any other smoking equipment or device; or
   2-25                    (C)  emitting or exhaling the smoke of a pipe,
   2-26  cigar, or cigarette of any kind or any other smoking equipment or
   2-27  device.
    3-1              (4)  "Employee" means a person who is employed by an
    3-2  employer in consideration for monetary compensation or profit.
    3-3              (5)  "Employer" means a person, partnership,
    3-4  corporation, association, or other entity that employs one or more
    3-5  persons.
    3-6              (6)  "Place of employment" means an enclosed, indoor
    3-7  area under the control of an employer to which employees have
    3-8  access during the course of employment and includes work areas,
    3-9  employee lounges, employee rest rooms, conference rooms, and
   3-10  employee cafeterias.  The term does not include a private
   3-11  residence.
   3-12              (7)  "Bar" includes:
   3-13                    (A)  an area of a restaurant, excluding a dining
   3-14  area, that is primarily devoted to the serving of alcoholic
   3-15  beverages for consumption by guests on the premises and in which
   3-16  food service, if any, is only incidental to the consumption of
   3-17  those beverages; or
   3-18                    (B)  all areas of an establishment in which more
   3-19  than 50 percent of its annual gross sales is from the sale of
   3-20  alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption.
   3-21        Sec. 165.003.  SMOKING AT PUBLIC MEETING OR IN PUBLIC PLACE;
   3-22  CRIMINAL PENALTY.  (a)  A person commits an offense if the person
   3-23  smokes at a public meeting or in a public place and the person is
   3-24  not in an area designated as a smoking area under Section 165.004.
   3-25        (b)  It is an exception to the application of Subsection (a)
   3-26  that the person is smoking:
   3-27              (1)  in a situation in which the person is present at
    4-1  an event in which an entire room or hall is used for a private
    4-2  social function and seating arrangements are under the control of
    4-3  the sponsor of the function and not of the proprietor or person in
    4-4  charge of the place;
    4-5              (2)  in a public place for which a waiver has been
    4-6  granted under Section 165.008(b); or
    4-7              (3)  as a participant in an authorized theatrical
    4-8  performance.
    4-9        (c)  An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor,
   4-10  unless it is shown on the trial of the defendant that the defendant
   4-11  has been convicted one or more times within five years before the
   4-12  trial date of a violation of this section, in which event the
   4-13  offense is punishable by a fine not to exceed $500.
   4-14        Sec. 165.004.  DESIGNATION OF SMOKING AREAS.  (a)  Except as
   4-15  provided by Subsection (e), a proprietor or person in charge of a
   4-16  public place who desires to permit persons in the public place to
   4-17  smoke shall designate areas as smoking areas.  If the public place
   4-18  is a government building, the governmental entity responsible for
   4-19  managing and maintaining the building may designate areas as
   4-20  smoking areas.
   4-21        (b)  The proprietor or person in charge is not required to
   4-22  make structural or physical modifications to accommodate the
   4-23  smoking areas, but existing physical barriers and ventilation
   4-24  systems shall be used to minimize the effect of smoke in adjacent
   4-25  nonsmoking areas.
   4-26        (c)  Each employer who operates a place of employment shall
   4-27  develop, implement, and maintain a written smoking policy that
    5-1  accommodates the wishes of smoking and nonsmoking employees by
    5-2  designating smoking and nonsmoking areas.  If a dispute arises, the
    5-3  preferences of nonsmokers shall be accommodated.  This chapter does
    5-4  not prohibit an employer from designating a place of employment in
    5-5  its entirety as a nonsmoking area.
    5-6        (d)  The proprietor or person in charge of a restaurant
    5-7  shall designate at least 50 percent of the area as a nonsmoking
    5-8  area.  This chapter does not prohibit a proprietor or person in
    5-9  charge from designating a restaurant in its entirety as a
   5-10  nonsmoking area.
   5-11        (e)  Except as provided by Subsection (f), a smoking area may
   5-12  not be designated in:
   5-13              (1)  a common work area in which work stations are
   5-14  divided by partial walls;
   5-15              (2)  an elevator;
   5-16              (3)  a school bus;
   5-17              (4)  a public means of mass transportation;
   5-18              (5)  a rest room;
   5-19              (6)  a service line, cashier area, over-the-counter
   5-20  sales area, or common traffic area; or
   5-21              (7)  a place in which smoking is prohibited by the fire
   5-22  marshal of the state or a political subdivision or by other law,
   5-23  ordinance, or rule.
   5-24        (f)  No place other than a bar or retail store that primarily
   5-25  sells tobacco may be designated as a smoking area in its entirety.
   5-26  If a  bar or tobacco store is designated as a smoking area in its
   5-27  entirety, that fact shall be posted conspicuously at each entrance
    6-1  to the premises.
    6-2        Sec. 165.005.  SIGNS.  (a)  A proprietor or person in charge
    6-3  of a public place shall place signs visible at each entrance to the
    6-4  premises to notify persons entering the premises that smoking is
    6-5  prohibited or that smoking is prohibited except in areas designated
    6-6  as smoking areas.
    6-7        (b)  A proprietor or person in charge of a public place shall
    6-8  post in a conspicuous place in any area designated as a smoking
    6-9  area signs stating that smoking is permitted in the area.  The
   6-10  proprietor or person in charge may post signs in the premises
   6-11  stating "No Smoking" or "No Smoking Except in Designated Areas" as
   6-12  appropriate.
   6-13        Sec. 165.006.  REASONABLE EFFORT TO PREVENT SMOKING.  (a)  A
   6-14  proprietor or person in charge of a public place shall make a
   6-15  reasonable effort to prevent smoking by:
   6-16              (1)  designating any areas where smoking will be
   6-17  permitted as required by Section 165.004;
   6-18              (2)  posting signs as required by Section 165.005; and
   6-19              (3)  asking smokers to refrain from smoking in all
   6-20  nonsmoking areas on request of a client, patron, or employee
   6-21  suffering discomfort from the smoke.
   6-22        (b)  If a smoker refuses to comply with a request to refrain
   6-23  from smoking, an affected person may bring an action as provided by
   6-24  Section 165.009.
   6-25        Sec. 165.007.  FACILITIES TO EXTINGUISH SMOKING MATERIALS.
   6-26  (a)  All public conveyances and public places shall be equipped
   6-27  with facilities for extinguishing smoking materials.
    7-1        (b)  Facilities for extinguishing smoking materials that are
    7-2  located in areas of public places other than designated smoking
    7-3  areas shall be accompanied by clearly visible signs stating "No
    7-4  Smoking."
    7-5        Sec. 165.008.  ADMINISTRATION; WAIVER.  (a)  The board shall
    7-6  adopt rules necessary under this chapter and shall implement and
    7-7  determine compliance with this chapter.
    7-8        (b)  The commissioner may, on request of a proprietor or
    7-9  person in charge of a public place, waive the requirements of this
   7-10  chapter if the commissioner determines that there are compelling
   7-11  reasons to do so and the waiver will not significantly affect the
   7-12  health and comfort of nonsmokers.
   7-13        Sec. 165.009.  INJUNCTION.  The board, a local governmental
   7-14  entity, or any affected person may bring an action in any court of
   7-15  competent jurisdiction to enjoin a violation of this chapter.
   7-16        Sec. 165.010.  LOCAL ORDINANCES.  This chapter does not
   7-17  prohibit a political subdivision from adopting a more stringent
   7-18  ordinance that regulates or prohibits smoking at a public meeting
   7-19  or in a public place.
   7-20        SECTION 2.  Section 48.01, Penal Code, is repealed.
   7-21        SECTION 3.  Each employer required to adopt a written smoking
   7-22  policy under Section 165.004(c), Health and Safety Code, as added
   7-23  by this Act, shall adopt the policy:
   7-24              (1)  not later than March 31, 1996, if the business was
   7-25  established before January 1, 1996; or
   7-26              (2)  not later than 90 days after the date on which the
   7-27  business begins to operate if the business is established on or
    8-1  after January 1, 1996.
    8-2        SECTION 4.  (a)  This Act takes effect January 1, 1996.
    8-3        (b)  The repeal by this Act of Section 48.01, Penal Code,
    8-4  does not apply to an offense committed under that section before
    8-5  January 1, 1996.  An offense committed before that date is covered
    8-6  by that section as it existed on the date on which the offense was
    8-7  committed, and the former law is continued in effect for this
    8-8  purpose.
    8-9        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   8-10  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   8-11  emergency   and   an   imperative   public   necessity   that   the
   8-12  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   8-13  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.