People Ban: Hawaii Update Page 1

1/30/2007
Rep. Colleen Meyer, R-Kaaawa

Honolulu – I drafted and introduced Bill H.B. No. 792 in the Hawaii State House of Representatives to exempt bars, nightclubs, and restaurants from the complete ban on smoking, provided that exterior signage adequately warns the public that smoking is allowed within.

I’m very concerned with the calls my office is receiving about the loss of revenue that small business owners are experiencing across the state since the statewide smoking ban went into affect in November.

Many long time business establishments have closed in other states due to the passage of smoking ban legislation and hundreds of others are limping along with revenues 30 to 50 percent of what they were before the ban.

This is really a piece of common sense legislation that would allow a choice for both business owners and their patrons.

I was joined by Representatives Rida Cabanilla, Karen Awana, Tom Brower, Cindy Evans and Gene Ward in the signing of this bill.

House Bill 792 has been referred to three committees, Health (HLT), Economic Development and Business (EDB) and Consumer Protection and Commerce (CPC). A referral to three committees definitely makes it harder to get a bill over to the Senate.

Nearly 4,000 people have signed a petition asking the Governor and the Legislature for a repeal of the smoking ban.

Now these people need to call and write the Legislative members of these committees if they want to affect a change.

A U.S. Supreme court decision during the early 1970’s ((Lloyd Corp v. Tanner, 407 U.S. 551 (1992)) said a place of business does not become public property because the public is invited in.

So, by that same reasoning. A restaurant or bar is not public property. We need to support small business and stop regulating them out of business.

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Hawaii trying to educate tourists about new, strict smoking ban
November 20th, 2006
HONOLULU (AP) _ State officials say Hawaii stict new no-smoking law will protect people from secondhand smoke. But some fear it may deter cigarette-puffing tourists from coming to the islands, especially high-spending visitors from Japan.

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State wide Smoking Ban Now in Effect

Nov 17, 2006

The anti-smoking law is now in effect.

The law makes it illegal to smoke in all enclosed restaurants, bars, office buildings, and other work places across the state.

Ala Moana shopping center is included in the new law.

At the Honolulu International Airport, those who want to smoke can only light up at the center median, or any other uncovered area outside the airport building.

The ban also means no smoking within 20-feet of sliding glass doors.

Violators could be fined up to fifty dollars.

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Hawaii authorities defend smoking ban

16 November
Julian Lipsher

Hawaii’s department of health says the new anti-smoking law is necessary to protect people’s health.

The law, which comes into effect tomorrow will prohibit smoking in public places, such as bars, restaurants and workplaces.

The project manager for the Department’s Tobacco Control programme, Julian Lipsher, says tobacco related illnesses is costing about half a billion dollars annually in medical costs and lost productivity in Hawaii.

“The law follows the surgeon general’s recommendations or report of June 2006 Health Consequence to Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke finding there was no safe level of exposure and recommending measures be taken to eliminate involuntary exposure.”

But pro-smokers groups say the new law takes away their rights to smoke wherever they like.

Hawaii is the 14th state in the United States to enact an anti smoking law.

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Health officials clearing the air on smoking law
11/12/06
SMOKING NO LONGER ALLOWED
Smoking will be banned starting Thursday at:

” Enclosed or partially enclosed state or county-owned facilities and places open to the public, including private businesses

” Workplaces, private homes used for adult or child care, health care facilities and private membership clubs that employ people

” Restaurants and bars, including outdoor patios and lanai, luaus and other events where food and drinks are served

” Within 20 feet of doorways, windows and ventilation intakes, to prevent secondhand smoke from drifting into enclosed areas

” All airports, from cabin to curb

” Enclosed or partially enclosed seating areas of sports arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters

Smoking still allowed in some indoor areas

The following exceptions to the smoking ban are allowed so long as smoke doesn’t drift into a no-smoking area:

” Designated hotel and motel smoking rooms (up to 20 percent)

” Private and semi-private rooms of nursing homes and long-term care facilities

” Retail tobacco stores

” Outdoor areas of employment that aren’t covered by the smoke-free law

” All areas covered by the law when smoking is part of a production being filmed

” State correctional facilities, although some facilities have been designated smoke-free

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Smoking ban to be stricter

November 1, 2006
Nina Wu

Local bars, restaurants and cafes will have to adjust to a new law that bans smoking at those establishments beginning Nov. 16.

The Hawaii Smoke-Free Law covers all restaurants and bars, including outdoor patios and lanais, along with public places, enclosed and partially enclosed.

As Hawaii readies itself to become the 14th state in the nation with a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance, the new law drew both praise and ire from the Aloha state’s bar and restaurant owners.

Some said it was a step in the right direction, while others complained it would reduce the number of customers.

NEW LAW
Under the law, smoking is prohibited:
” In enclosed or partially enclosed workplaces.
” Within 20 feet of doorways, windows and ventilation intakes.
” All enclosed public places.
” The entirety of restaurant and bars, including outdoor patios and lanais.
” More information available at hawaiismokefree.com

“The best possible customer service philosophy is to train your staff as to what the law says,” Lipsher said.

Business that fail to comply with the law may be fined up to $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense, and up to $500 for each additional violation.

Individual violators of the smoking law may be fined up to $50 plus court costs.

The Health Department, as well as police, can enforce the new law. However, final approval of the Health Department’s draft of administrative rules is still pending.

Under individual county laws, according to Deborah Zysman, director of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii, restaurants have been smoke-free for as long as the last five years.

“The new law sets a minimum level of protection for employees all across the state,” Zysman said. “If a county wants to make a law in addition to the state law, they are free to do so.”

Dave Stewart, co-owner of Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, Bar 35 and French bar Du Vin on Bethel Street, said customers usually step outside the door to smoke, whether it be in a back patio or the sidewalk.

With the new law, they won’t be able to smoke within 20 feet of entryways, windows and ventilation intakes.

“That’s to provide protection from smoke-blowing,” Zysman said. “Certain people are very sensitive; if they have heart disease or asthma, even a little bit of exposure can be harmful.”

Some businesses can apply for an exemption to the 20-foot rule, but only if they can prove the area set aside for smokers in no way infiltrates the public area or place of employment.

A partially enclosed space is defined as a roof or overhang and at least two walls, which don’t necessarily go from floor to ceiling. Examples include public lobbies, interior courtyards, lanais, patios and covered walkways.

The new law would apply, for example, to outdoor seating areas for Starbucks or the Row Bar at Waterfront Plaza, even if it is an open-air bar.

“Row Bar will need to be smoke-free, along with any bar,” Zysman said. “That includes any place — tables and chairs — that would be part of the restaurant or bar where they serve people.”

The Hawaii Restaurant Association, a nonprofit representing restaurant owners, holds no official position on the smoking ban. Individual restaurant and bar owners, however, had plenty of opinions.

Bill Comerford, president of E&J; Lounge Operating Co., which runs Kelley O’Neil’s in Waikiki and O’Toole’s Irish Pub downtown, estimated he would lose 60 percent of his regular customer base because of the smoking ban.

“During the day and early evening, people want to sit down and have a cigarette and a beer,” said Comerford, who is a nonsmoker himself. “That’s what they do. … With this law, you prevent me from catering to my customers. That’s a huge blow to business.”

Another restaurant and bar owner who declined to be named said the new law seems like an imposition on the freedom of the individual.

In Waikiki, most restaurant/ bar owners try to accommodate as many customers as possible by allowing smokers to sit outdoors, while nonsmokers dine indoors. Many eastbound visitors expect to be able to smoke, given that they come from countries with less-stringent rules.

The Shack, a popular hangout with three locations in Mililani, Kailua and Hawaii Kai, has in the past had a regular customer base of heavy smokers.

But Chris Mattos, manager of the Shack in Hawaii Kai, said he’s been trying to quit smoking himself after six years, and that it would be easier with the ban.

Mattos said many of the Shack’s smokers are also trying to quit.

“Times are changing,” he said. “I think it would actually be good for us to get rid of it. We might lose some customers, but will gain more than we lose. … If the law says you can’t smoke in public places, we’re going to have to abide by it. That means ashtrays in the trash.”

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Smoking ban gets tougher

July 11, 2006

Gov. Linda Lingle signed a bill yesterday to ban smoking in a variety of public places, including restaurants, bowling alleys, taxicabs and shopping malls, as well as from curb to cabin at the state’s airports.

“We now have concrete research about the serious dangers of secondhand smoke. We also know that tobacco is a leading cause of preventable death in Hawaii. Therefore, it is critical that we do all we can to protect the health of our residents and visitors by providing public venues that are truly smoke-free,” said Lingle, a former smoker and current anti-smoking advocate.

The new law will go into effect Nov. 16, the same day as the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.

More than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are regularly exposed to smokers’ fumes, and tens of thousands die each year as a result, according to a federal study released last month. It cited “overwhelming scientific evidence” that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses.

The report called for completely smoke-free buildings and public places, saying that separate smoking sections and ventilation systems do not fully protect nonsmokers.

Hawaii joins at least 17 other states and more than 400 towns, cities and counties that have already passed strong no-smoking laws.

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Lingle signs smoking ban

Jul 10, 2006
Charlotte Woolard

Smokers across the state will not be able to light up at bars, nightclubs, small businesses or establishments with outdoor seating after Nov. 16.

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed a statewide ban, which imposes fines for violations and creates a 20-foot smoke-free zone around public entrances, exits, windows and ventilation systems.

“It is critical that we do all we can to protect the health of our residents and visitors by providing public venues that are truly smoke free, Lingle, a former smoker, said in a press release.”

The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i helped push the bill, which broadens existing ordinances to include Kaua‘i businesses with fewer than five employees. The bill also establishes fines of up to $50 for individuals and up to $500 for businesses with repeated offenses.

“All workers will now be protected,” said Charles Roessler, coordinator of Tobacco-Free Kaua‘i. “It’s a tremendous step forward for public health.”

The law means that nonsmokers like Kallei Apo, a bartender at the Nawiliwili Tavern, will no longer have to breathe second-hand smoke as part of the job.

“Smoking and drinking seem to go hand in hand,” Apo said, adding that she knew it would come with the job. “You’re a walking cigarette butt.”

She noted that many of the tourists who visit the bar come from states like California where a smoking ban is already in effect.

“When they find out they can smoke in here, they’re actually excited,” she said.

Vince Cosner, a pack-a-day smoker visiting Rob’s Good Times Grill, said the law would help him cut down on his smoking, but wouldn’t affect his patronage of Rob’s.

“We don’t come in here to smoke,” he said. “We come for good conversation.”

Roessler said the coalition expected even wary residents to become supporters of the new law.

“When they see what it’s like, they will realize that they could never go back,” he said.

Deborah Zysman, director of Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i, said the new fines give teeth to existing smoke-free laws, and the door is open for counties to strengthen the state law.

“This is setting a floor,” she said.

Roessler said the Kaua‘i coalition would like to see the law extended to public areas like Lydgate Park.

That’s just what John Owens, another pack-a-day smoker, said he expects.

“This ball gets rolling and it just rolls over people who object to it,” he said.

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New law to ban smoking from about every public area

May 10, 2006
Andrew Pereira

If you’re a smoker, take a good look around the next time you’re out in public.

A new law set to begin this November will ban smoking in many common areas where smokers can now light up.

I’m standing just a few feet from the entrance of our newsroom.

If I were smoking, I would be breaking the law come November.

Lobbies, airports, and businesses.

“Oh boy!”

Smokers will be barred from just about every public area when a statewide smoking ban begins six months from now.

Some smokers feel the new law goes too far.

“It does infringe on other people’s rights. Don’t the smokers have rights too?” says Marianne Bicoy, Oahu resident.

“I feel like, da kine, I stay back in high school — can’t smoke and this and that. But it’s cool, the only thing is we gotta go sneak now, we gotta go hide,” says Wayne Spencer, airport worker.

Anyone caught smoking where they’re not supposed to faces a $50 fine.

Violators will be cited by police officers.

“They going to make a lot of $50 then,” says Spencer.

Non-smokers don’t have much sympathy.

“In general, I think it’d be a good thing, just allow smoking outside,” says Russ Winger, Idaho resident.

And smokers who visit Aloha Stadium may not be cheering. The concourse area, a popular place to light up, will also become a no-smoking zone.

You could still smoke in the stadium parking lot.

But virtually no business or building is exempt from the smoking ban.

The law covers restrooms, reception areas, and hallways — anywhere people gather.

“For me, feel like one criminal,” says Spencer.

The law requires smokers to be at least 20 feet from any entrance, exit, window, or ventilation intake.

The law’s main sponsor doesn’t believe tourism or local businesses will suffer, and in the end the state will be healthier.

“It’s not just Hawaii that’s going smoke-free, but many countries around the world. We join 10 other states, and many of those are populous tourist states,” says Senator Rosalyn Baker, D-West Maui.

Governor Linda Lingle has said she plans to sign the bill into law.

The smoking ban begins November 16, the day of the “Great American Smokeout.”

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Legislators Approve Tough Smoking Ban

May 3, 2006

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers have approved one of the strictest smoking bans in the country. The bill prohibits smoking in almost every public space.

The governor is expected to approve the bill. She is a former smoker herself and has always been openly in favor of legislation to encourage smokers to give it up and to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

The bill prohibits smoking in all public places including: bars, restaurants — even open air restaurants — office buildings and any place workers would be affected by smoke.

“I think this is a huge step forward for public health in Hawaii and we are just ecstatic now that all workers in the state will be afforded a state smoke-free workplace,” said Deborah Zysman, of Tobacco Free Hawaii.

About the only place you would be able to smoke would be your car, on your bike or in your home.

The airport now has designated smoking places, but under the bill the entire airport would be off limits to smokers.

Smokers would have to smoke at least 20 feet away from the entrance to any business or office.

The fines for violation would be $50 for smokers and up to $500 for businesses.

Smokers seemed resigned to the new stricter ban.

“Even though I am a smoker I think the writing is on the wall for all of us smokers that it is time to give it up,” Jim Cook said.

“I don’t think it is really a bad thing because there are a lot of people, elderly, a lot of people who can’t handle cigarette smoke it affects,” Yvonne Lindley said.

Nonsmokers said they feel freer knowing bars and office entrances will be smoke free.

“I am really happy about it. I have been a nonsmoker since 2000. I hope this makes other people want to stop smoking,” Jeanette Simons said.

The new smoking ban is scheduled to go into effect on Nov. 16.

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New isle smoking ban goes to full House and Senate for vote

Apr. 22, 2006
Helen Altonn and Leila Fujimori

House-Senate conferees have agreed on a wide-ranging smoking ban intended to protect Hawaii residents from secondhand smoke and reduce diseases and deaths.

Scope of ban covers public areas

Leaders of the Senate and House Health Committees agreed yesterday on a bill that would ban smoking in public places and places of employment, including all bars, auditoriums, employee lounges and from curb to cabin at Hawaii’s airports. One workplace exception: prisons.

The bill, still pending final votes by the full House and Senate, would prohibit smoking in state- and county-owned facilities, in workplaces and in enclosed or partially enclosed places open to the public.

The ban would include such places as bars and nightclubs, airports, public transportation facilities and vehicles, and areas available to the public such as restrooms, lobbies and reception areas. Common areas open to the public in offices, banks, laundromats, hotels, condominiums and other buildings also are covered.

The bill is intended to provide “a consistent level of basic protection” from secondhand smoke across the state.

Many smokers at Restaurant Row last night said they considered the bill a violation of their rights.

“When I drink a beer, I need my cigarettes,” said Suzy DelaCruz, 27, as she enjoyed both at an outdoor bar. “It’s not fair you can’t smoke in restaurants and bars.”

“I think it’s total garbage,” said Tony Williams, 43, outside Ocean Club. “I understand both sides, but I think smokers should have the option.”

“Public transportation and airports, OK. Bars and nightclubs, I don’t think so,” said Abhijit Bandyopadhyay, 34, while taking a smoke break outside an office building. “There should be places to smoke.”

But several smokers at Restaurant Row favored such a ban.

“When I’m not smoking, I’m extremely offended by (secondhand smoke),” said Boris Klimovitsky, 28, who sat at an open-air bar with a pack of cigarettes on the table. “It re-creates the addiction.”

Krystal Parages, 24, said while smoking, “I think it’s good. I’m trying to quit. I wish I never started smoking. It forces smokers to stop smoking, which is better for your health and everyone else’s, too.”

Senate Health Chairwoman Rosalyn Baker (D, Kapalua-Kaanapali-Lahaina-Maalaea-Kihei-Makena) said support for Senate Bill 3262, SD1, HD1, as it moved through the two chambers indicates it will pass and go to the governor.

Legislators are also trying a second tactic: raising the state tax on cigarettes.

The House and Senate are still working on the bill’s details. The Senate is seeking a 2-cent boost to the tax in 2007, while the House wants a 2.5-cent increase. Legislators also still need to settle their difference over which health program would receive the extra money, estimated at $12 million for a single-cent raise.

Baker said that across the country, tax increases on cigarettes have been linked to fewer young people picking up the smoking habit.

She said the smoking-ban measure has broad community and bipartisan support to protect the public from secondhand smoke, which is “as deadly as smoking.”

If enacted, it would take effect on Nov. 16, the day of the Great American Smokeout, when organizations focus on getting people to quit smoking, Baker said.

“This is a major advance for the health of our people,” said Rep. Dennis Arakaki (D, Alewa Heights-Kalihi Valley-Fort Shafter), House Health Committee chairman.

The bill has been a priority for many years for the Health Committee, Arakaki said. “Hopefully, this will get the message across to parents and caregivers that it is not good to smoke in homes where children are.”

Health care, child care and adult day care facilities and any home with a public business are covered by the bill’s restrictions.

Rep. Joshua Green (D, North Kona-Keauhou-Kailua-Kona-Honokohau), an emergency room doctor, said the bill is “a major victory” for islanders’ health.

More than 1,000 people die every year in Hawaii because of smoking, “one way or another,” he said. “Tobacco is going to send people into the hospital or morgue.”

Suzaynn Schick, a University of California-San Francisco cell biologist, told legislators last year that secondhand smoke is more toxic to nonsmokers than inhaled smoke is to a smoker. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart and respiratory disease, and stroke in healthy smokers.

“The industry has known for 20 years or more of dangers of smoke,” said Don Weisman, with the American Heart Association. “How can they argue against their own research?”

Smoking and secondhand smoke are leading preventable causes of disease and death, said Weisman, chairman of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii’s policy committee.

“No one is happier than me today to see this pass and go to floor votes,” he added, noting he has been working 17 years to obtain such legislation.

Baker said the coalition, with 140 members, has been the driving force behind the legislation. The American Lung, Heart and Cancer associations and a county coalition also have been strong supporters, she said.

Deborah Zysman, the coalition’s executive director, also said such a bill “has been many years in the making. … I know it will change Hawaii for the better.”

She said Hawaii is one of 11 states with such sweeping restrictions on smoking.

Businesses also recognize the major impact smoking has on rising health care costs, Weisman said.

Rep. Kirk Caldwell (D, Manoa-Manoa Valley-University), chairman of the Labor and Public Employment Committee, said he hopes to consider legislation next year banning smoking at beaches and parks, which some counties in California have done, he said. He introduced such a measure last year which did not pass. He did not reintroduce it this year because he did not want to jeopardize the bill to protect people from secondhand smoking, he said.

Correctional facilities are exempt from the legislation, at their request, but Maui Community Correctional Center’s administrator is making it smoke-free, Baker said. Kauai’s CCC already is smoke-free.

Bill would prohibit smoking in bars
April 22, 2006 By Treena Shapiro
A bill that would dramatically expand smoking prohibitions in Hawai’i to airports, workplaces, even bars, is headed for final legislative approval after lawmakers announced details of a compromise agreement yesterday.

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Lawmakers advance smoking ban in public places

April 22nd, 2006

Hawaii will be joining eleven other states in banning smoking in public places statewide.

Leaders of the Senate and House Health Committees have come to an agreement on a bill to prohibit smoking in public places and places of employment. That includes all bars, auditoriums and employee lounges, as well as from curb to cabin at Hawaii’s airports.

The one variety of workplace excluded from the plan is prisons.

Lawmakers are calling the agreement a victory. Previous versions of the bill had passed with an overwhelming majority in both houses.

Legislators are also looking to raise the state tax on cigarettes. Details are still being negotiated between the House and Senate.

Proposed smoking ban advances

April 21, 2006
Treena Shapiro

A bill that would ban smoking at workplaces and in enclosed public areas appears to be one step closer to law after House and Senate conference committee members came to an agreement yesterday.

Details of the compromise will be revealed at a 9:45 a.m. hearing today, when the committee decides whether to approve it. The last version of the bill prohibited smoking at all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. State correctional facilities would be exempted, at their request.

Enclosed or partially enclosed public places were also part of the last draft. That would include any public places that have a roof and two walls.

“We’re not really talking about homes or cars or the beach or the park,” said Deborah Zysman, executive director of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawai’i. “This is really to protect workers’ health.”

If the bill passes through the conference committee today, it will still have to pass the full House and Senate before it can take effect.

“In our mind, it’s definitely not over yet,” Zysman said. “We’re still pushing for it until it’s done.”

If it should pass and be signed into law by Gov. Linda Lingle, Hawai’i would become the 12th state in the nation with a comprehensive secondhand smoking bill.

The goal of the bill is to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke by prohibiting smoking in places open to the public.

Experts say secondhand smoke causes too many health problems, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer in nonsmokers. According to the bill, it contributes to thousands of premature deaths and illnesses in Hawai’i each year.

In 2004, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory to those with heart disease to avoid indoor places where smoking is allowed, which the bill’s authors say warrants increased protections for the public.

Counties have their own laws to curb smoking — for instance, Honolulu has banned smoking in restaurants — but a state law would ensure basic protection statewide.

Another bill aimed at curbing smoking itself also is being considered by the same conference committee. This bill would raise the tax on each cigarette, making it more expensive to buy cigarettes, and lawmakers hope, deter more young people from picking up the habit.

March 30, 2006 Update:

Our state legislature is trying to pass a statewide smoking ban, even
though the counties have passed smoking bans. The current law for Oahu
(Honolulu) bans smoking in restaurants, but does allow smoking in
outdoor areas of restaurants and in bars. The proposed state law would
ban smoking in bars and in outdoor areas of restaurants. I have attached
a copy of the state bill.

The bill has passed the Senate and now is in the House. Last week I
testified before the House Health committee, and Tuesday I testified
before the House Judiciary committee. I have attached a copy of my
testimony before the Judiciary committee. I have also attached an
article by Roger Jenkins which I included in my fax to the House with my
testimony. By faxing my testimony to the Sergeant-at-Arms I avoid having
to make 35 copies. His office does it for me and provides a copy for
each member of the committee.

This morning I sent an email to each of the 10 members of the committee
to clarify the fact that the proposed bill does ban smoking in outdoor
areas of restaurants. At Tuesday’s hearing there was some confusion on
this point. The antis did not think the bill would ban smoking in
outdoor areas of restaurants. Of course they would say that, and then
surprise, lo and behold, it is included.

Bob Speck
Hawaii State Coordinator
The Smoker’s Club, Inc.
bobspeck@attglobal.net

STATEMENT ON SB 3262 SD1
to the House Judiciary Committee
Relating to Banning Smoking
March 28, 2006

Bad habits
January 2000
Researcher says antismoking policies, though admirable,
shouldn’t be based on hazy science

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Exposure to second-hand smoke lower than believed.
June 30, 2000

Coalition urging passage of expanded smoking ban

February 26, 2006
Derrick DePledge and Treena Shapiro

The Legislature is in the midst of a five-day recess. It will reconvene Thursday for the 24th day of the session.

Anti-tobacco advocates last week lobbied lawmakers to pass a bill that would ban smoking in workplaces and public places. About 150 members of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai’i testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and visited other lawmakers to generate support.

The Judiciary Committee passed the bill (Senate Bill 3262), which is now likely to cross over to the House. Rep. Sylvia Luke, who did not hear the companion bill in the House, will decide whether to hear the Senate version.

Another bill that could generate some debate on the Senate floor would repeal a law that makes criminal trespass a petty misdemeanor. Those in favor of the bill argue that the current law criminalizes homelessness at a time when the Legislature is seeking remedies to the homeless problem.

However, those who oppose repealing the law say that to do so would take away law enforcement’s power to prevent the homeless from “squatting” on public property.

After hearing a number of bills this week, the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means committees will be deciding the fate of many budget-related bills.