What's happening
This bill prohibits smoking within fifty feet of entrances to certain buildings, including state offices in New York.
Why it matters
Expands smoke-free zones. beyond just inside buildings to the outdoor areas immediately around entrances, which helps reduce secondhand smoke exposure for people entering or exiting these spaces.
Targets large workplaces. by defining "state office" as any building housing 100+ state employees, regardless of whether the facility is owned or leased—potentially affecting a significant number of government workers and visitors.
Covers a broad range of government activities. because "state agency" includes executive departments, boards, commissions, public authorities, the judiciary, and the legislature, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the state government.
May influence local policies and norms. by setting a stricter state standard, which could encourage similar rules in other public or private settings and further shift social expectations around smoking in shared spaces.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Smoking Near State Buildings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
76
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GALEF, LIFTON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting smoking within fifty feet of all entrances to certain buildings
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 1399-n of the public health law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 12 and 13 to read as follows:
12. "State office" means any building or facility in the state wherein one hundred or more employees, in aggregate, of any state agency are located whether or not such office building or facility is owned, rented or leased by the state.
13. "State agency" means any department of the executive, any bureau, commission, agency, board or other agency, any public authority, and the judiciary and the legislature.
§ 2. Section 1399-o of the public health law is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
6. Smoking shall not be permitted and no person shall smoke in the outside area within fifty feet of an entrance to a building containing one or more of the indoor areas listed in subdivision one of this section, or in the outside area within fifty feet of any state office building used for any state agency.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01965-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.