Bills HB1469, SB324 – Smoking ban exemptions for bars

 Senate Bill SB 324 and House Bill 1469 are currently being held up in committee – these are bills which would allow exemptions to the current smoking ban for bars only.

We’re asking you  to help submit testimony and get these bills brought forward.

This is a concern because of the results of the past year – of 15 carbaret licenses in Waikiki in 2011, five closed, and two are expected to close within a year.  In the space of a year, 4am operations are down 33%, and inside of two years it is expected to be down almost 50%.  This is a direct result of the smoking ban forcing customers outside, into a public space which we as owners and operators cannot police.

Please call or email one or both of the following people asking to get this bill heard, as currently they are not holding any hearings on it:

Josh Green
Senate District 3
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 215
phone: 808-586-9385
fax: 808-586-9391
sengreen@capitol.hawaii.gov

A form letter can be copied from here, make any edits you need to, sign your name to the bottom, and fire off that email!

Senator Green/Representative Belatti,

I write to you concerned that SB324/HB1469, the smoking exemption bill for bars and nightclubs is not getting the attention it deserves.  As of 2012 a full third of all 4am bars in Waikiki have shut their doors for good.  This stems from numerous problems cause by forcing intoxicated patrons outside the premises to smoke, where management and owners have no right or ability to control their noise or behavior.  When inside the bar, patrons do not want to risk being ejected and moderate their behavior.  The bars also contain the patrons’ noise and litter.  Please let this bill be heard so that patrons can be kept in the bars, and we can all breathe easier.

Sincerely,

<Your Name>