News Story

Restaurants Say Smoking Ban Leaves Sales Cold

(Note: A MichiganVotes.org roll call list follows this article).

A recent survey by a restaurant lobbyist group shows that restaurants are seeing a drop in sales due to the state-wide smoking ban that took effect May 1.

But Andy Deloney, a spokesman for the Michigan Restaurant Association which did the survey, feels the impact may be greater once the warm weather fades. Deloney said his association expects to do another survey in the winter on sales.

"It's one thing to step right outside the door when it is 80 degrees out but it's another to do that when it is a blustery 15 degrees," Deloney said.

The survey found 43 percent of the restaurant and tavern owners found no change in sales or the number of customers since May 1. Another 42.4 percent said their sales are down since the smoking ban started and 41.2 percent say their number of customers has dropped.

"To us, this issue was never about sales," Deloney said. "The issue was the freedom of the people who own and operate the taverns, bars and restaurants as well as the people who chose to go to them."

Deloney said restaurants around the state were becoming more and more smoke-free since more customers wanted it that way.

There were 2,200 smoke-free restaurants/bars in 1998 and about 6,030 before the smoking ban took effect, Deloney said. There are 17,000 to 18,000 bars/restaurants/taverns in the state.

The smoking ban is Public Act 188 of 2009. It passed both chambers of the Legislature on Dec. 10, 2009, and was signed into law by the governor on Dec. 18. It was described by MichiganVotes.org as a bill "to prohibit a business owner, including the owner of a bar or restaurant, from choosing to allow smoking in his or her establishment. The Detroit casinos, existing cigar bars and tobacco specialty retail stores, work vehicles and home offices would be exempt from the ban."

In the Michigan Senate, it passed on a vote of 24-13, with the support of 15 Democrats and nine Republicans. One Democrat and 12 Republicans were opposed.

In the Michigan House, it passed on a vote of 75-30, with the support of 55 Democrats and 20 Republicans. There were 23 Republican votes in opposition, along with seven Democrats.

The MichiganVotes.org roll call vote for this bill is listed below. Contact information for all lawmakers may be found at www.MichCapCon.com/9313.

~~~~~

Lawmakers who voted TO PROHIBIT BUSINESS OWNERS from allowing smoking in their buildings:

 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS (20)

Ball

Calley

Crawford

DeShazor

Green

Haines

Hansen

Knollenberg

Kowall

Lori

Marleau

Meltzer

Moss

Opsommer

Proos

Rocca

Schuitmaker

Scott, P.

Tyler

Walsh

 

SENATE REPUBLICANS (9)

Birkholz

Cassis

George

Jelinek

Kahn

McManus

Nofs

Pappageorge

Patterson

 

 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS (55)

Angerer

Barnett

Bauer

Bledsoe

Brown, L.

Brown, T.

Byrnes

Byrum

Constan

Corriveau

Coulouris

Dean

Dillon

Donigan

Durhal

Ebli

Geiss

Gonzales

Gregory

Griffin

Haase

Hammel

Jackson

Johnson

Jones, Robert

Kandrevas

Kennedy

LeBlanc

Leland

Lemmons

Lindberg

Lipton

Liss

McDowell

Meadows

Melton

Miller

Nathan

Nerat

Polidori

Roberts

Scripps

Segal

Sheltrown

Slavens

Slezak

Smith

Spade

Stanley

Switalski

Tlaib

Valentine

Warren

Womack

Young

 

SENATE DEMOCRATS (15)

Anderson

Basham

Brater

Cherry

Clark-Coleman

Clarke

Gleason

Hunter

Jacobs

Olshove

Prusi

Scott

Switalski

Thomas

Whitmer

 

~~~~~

Lawmakers who voted AGAINST PROHIBITING BUSINESS OWNERS from allowing smoking in their buildings:

HOUSE REPUBLICANS (23)

Agema

Amash

Bolger

Booher

Caul

Daley

Denby

Elsenheimer

Genetski

Haveman

Hildenbrand

Horn

Jones, Rick

Kurtz

Lund

McMillin

Meekhof

Moore

Pavlov

Pearce

Rogers

Schmidt, W.

Stamas

   

 

SENATE REPUBLICANS (12)

Allen

Bishop

Brown

Cropsey

Garcia

Gilbert

Jansen

Kuipers

Richardville

Sanborn

Stamas

Van Woerkom

     

 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS (7)

Espinoza

Haugh

Lahti

Mayes

Neumann

Schmidt, R.

Scott, B.

     

 

SENATE DEMOCRATS (ONE)

Barcia

~~~~~

Lawmakers who DID NOT VOTE:

Rep. Bennett (D)

Rep. Clemente (D)

Rep. Cushingberry (D)

Rep. Huckleberry (D)

Rep. Simpson (D)

Sen. Hardiman (R)

 

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.