Pa. House committee passes bill that would ban smoking at casinos, bus stops

A bill that would ban smoking in casinos, bus stops and other locations in Pennsylvania passed with bipartisan support Tuesday from the state House Health Committee. 

The legislation known as the Protecting Workers From Secondhand Smoke Act would extend the state’s indoor smoking ban and would eliminate most exemptions in the state’s 2008 Clean Indoor Air Act, including in casinos. The ban would also include e-cigarettes, which were not in the 2008 law.

“Only 2 in 10 Pennsylvanians smoke at this point — and going out in Pennsylvania shouldn’t feel like taking a time machine to a long-gone era before the science made clear that smoking was deadly,” state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, the prime sponsor of the bill, said in a news release.  

While the legislation would end smoking at most casinos, bars and clubs, there would be some exemptions. Smoking would continue to be allowed at cigar bars, outdoor patios and home offices. Private clubs could still allow smoking if their employees and membership vote every two years in favor of the policy.

The bill would also allow local governments to adopt stronger smoke-free ordinances than state law. 

The timeline for the full House to take a vote on the bill was not immediately clear. A similar bill had cleared the state House Health Committee in 2024, but it timed out before the full House could vote on it. 

State Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, has introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

The House Health Committee passed the bill with a 22-4 vote. The bus stop smoking ban was added on as an amendment, passing 25-1.

“There’s nothing partisan about this,” Frankel said. “Democrats and Republicans agree that a blackjack dealer’s lungs deserve the same protection as an office worker’s.”